


Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Shifting Sands

by DesertOdyssey



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Action/Adventure, Amnesia, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Heroes & Heroines, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, PMD, Stuttering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:42:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 68,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23163451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertOdyssey/pseuds/DesertOdyssey
Summary: Lawrence, a cowardly human-turned togepi, suddenly wakes up in a world where only pokémon inhabit, lost and confused. After waking up, he meets up and befriends an energetic jangmo-o named Mirari, and together they end up tangled on a conspiracy that threatens the fate of the Sand Continent, or maybe even the world itself. Will they uncover the truth together, or succumb to the darkness alone?
Relationships: Togepy | Togepi/Jyarako | Jangmo-o
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	1. The Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> This story is my first ever attempt at writting... anything, really! So reviews and comments are really appreciated! I hope you can have fun reading, as much as I have fun writting it! Having said that, I do not own Pokémon, PMD or anything of the sort- this is merely a love letter to all great PMD stories out there, using some new stuff from gen VIII, and some old classics! Oh, and this fic is also being posted on FFN! Anyway, on with the story!

" _You know, youngling, many have asked the same thing. And frankly, I'm unsure myself. Let me ask you: why do I lead the guild? Why do I wake up every day with a smile on my muzzle? What motivates me to fight?"_

A lonely, quadruped dragon-like child stares into the sky from their window, seeing the sun rise from the horizon, as huge sandstorms and sand tornadoes form in the distance, thankfully relatively far away from her and her mother's house. Her room was filled with scattered toys, books, scrolls and maps, footprint writings covering some random papers. The little pokémon sighs, curling into a ball and waiting for another lonely, monotone day to start, her heart aching as she escapes into her innocent mind.

* * *

" _Truth be told, youngling, I don't think we, mere mortals, could ever reach to a single conclusion to any of these questions! It's quite baffling how such simple things can be so mysterious!"_

As morning approached, a shadowy pokémon dashed through the dying night, the streets empty, and most houses still asleep. He silently glided through the stony walls of some old couple's residence, climbing towards the window, and almost as if he knew the place, he ran towards the kitchen, and swiftly grabbed the plate on the middle of it, full of delicious and ripe berries, soon vanishing into the now illuminated outside, flinching as his stomach growled, and weakness almost broke his graceful steps.

* * *

" _I sometimes wonder if there even is a correct answer anyway! I've met my fair share of fellow pokémon in my life, none of them like the other, and I'm sure they'd answer each question very differently as well!"_

The beautiful light of the moon pierced the darkness of the night. Alluring in it's mystery, yet intimidating in it's possibilities. A heavy rain was flooding the grassy plains, rustling the leaves and shaking the trees, the breeze was howling, as a lonely, cloaked figure stared into the night. Extending his paw, he felt his fur move with the air around him. He felt a strange sense of urgency, halting his long, aimless trip… Closing his paw shut, he looked at the endless forest that filled the horizon, a sense of foreboding ever present.

* * *

" _So to understand why I love this continent, and why I dedicate my entire life to protect it, you must first understand why I fight, and live, in the first place!"_

He was falling- He wasn't sure what was happening, only that he was scared, confused and unsure, feeling a sharp pain on his chest, the blinding lights of the psychedelic world around him forming into a chaotic, yet beautiful mix of colors. It was then, that he felt his hands clenching, and a undescribable pain wrecking his very being- He would scream, if only he had a mouth, as all the lights suddenly turned into a single, white colored flash, enveloping and cradling the soul as he fell into the abyss.

* * *

" _And to finally answer the big question (as well as the little ones), my zeal for this continent comes not from it's ancient culture, not from it's long and bloody history, nor from the countless adventures and endless possibilities this dry piece of land offers!"_

" _ **Accept my offer, child… And I shall grant you your greatest desire. You will have what your heart seeks… should you accept the task of ridding the world of sin."**_

"W-Why me? Again, I'm not saying no or anything… B-But…"

" _ **You have been… blessed, child. You have something others lack, deep within your being. And I need it. For my righteous cause."**_

"I-I still don't get it. I'll do whatever you say just… Just help me bring them back!"

" _ **Goooood~"**_

* * *

" _Hohoho! Why, don't look at me like that, dear! I swear the answer's coming. Younglings are so impatient with their elders! Well then, to finally answer it to you! The reason why I have devoted my entire life to preserving the sand continent… Well, it's thanks to the pokémon, of course!"_

"Lady, the omens! The energy! The arrival is nigh!"

"Indeed. The leylines themselves are reacting. The world itself is crying. And I'm sure **They** can hear the call too."

"Should I mobilize the others, then?"

"Please do. Send them to each continent- Immediately. Leave no stone unturned. We must find him first, at all costs."

"As you desire, my Lady."

* * *

" _It's why I can be steadfast and unflinching when leading my fellow guildmates. It's why I can wake up everyday with a smile, no matter how bleak things are and It's why I can fight, even if all seems lost. I see so many good pokémon, from all types, colors, shapes and sizes, all living in harmony, all trying to make the best of life together… All searching for their meaning and their happiness in their own way."_

"Sword, bravely glimmering gold, to pierce the cloak of the night

Shield, shining silver to protect us all from fright

When the dark one returns for his revenge

Grant us power to avenge, to make a stand

For when despair is to return

The two heroes shall make the tide turn."

"So it is written. And so it shall be."

* * *

" _You see, the path of life, youngling, can be painful and confusing- but if we all just try a little harder to be better today than we were tomorrow, I'm sure everyone can achieve their dreams! That's why I adore our home, the sand continent. No, actually, that's why I adore the very world we live in! Our bonds of trust, love and friendship are what make us pokémon so strong- and what makes our life worth living. I live to protect and preserve those bonds, those pokémon. I know I can't change the continent by myself, let alone the world, but that's why I created the guild! So that together, we may all cross the road of life in peace, and not fall for the mistakes of the past."_

" _And that is why, my dear youngling, I'm sure you'll be a great guildmaster when you grow up! You already had your own answer before you even asked me the question, did you not? No reason to blush! You didn't think you'd slip past your old man like that, eh?"_

* * *

**Chapter I: The Stranger**

**-?-**

…

Wind. The perceptible natural movement of the air. Breeze. In the very first moment in which his confused consciousness started to process what was around him, the wind was the first thing he could feel. Strong, oppressive… Different. He couldn't tell why, but he knew that the strong gust of air he was feeling was somehow not the same as he was used to. The… strange feeling on his back wasn't helping. It was hot, dry, rough… Where was he laying on?

And then, he could feel the sun begin to burn his poor body, making it ache all over, he acknowledged the existence of the world around him, but yet, he found himself unable to move… even thinking caused him discomfort. His vision was blackened, his eyes closed, his body unmoving, his breath slow, but chaotic. When his ears started to function again, a pain inducing ringing was all he could hear.

He tried opening his eyes, to try and catch a glimpse of where he ended up on, only to let out a dry croak of pain, the burning beams of light almost toasting his weak, fragile eyes. The sharp pain on his head somehow getting even stronger, stabbing through his skull.

"H…h...he...l…" was all his tiny mouth could say, before he yet again returned to the void, his heart rate accelerating, and then just as suddenly, decelerating, as his panic was suppressed by the sleep that overtook him.

* * *

**A few minutes earlier...**

**-Oasis Village-**

"But mom, I'm old enough! You promised!" said a squeaky, indignant young feminine voice.

"You're 14, sweetie. Barely completed your basic studies, too." an older, more mature female sounding voice replied, calmly, yet sternly.

"All the other kids have tried! They've gone in at least one! I can't even say their name, you already shut me down!"

"That's because you have repeated the words 'mystery' and 'dungeon', usually followed by 'explore' so many times" the more mature female paused, taking a deep breath and then continuing, still with her calm tone "that they're starting to lose their meaning, sweetie."

"And besides, the school dungeons barely count. They are just empty caves that the teachers fill with items." Said the older voice, again.

"It's still **something**! You don't let me go to school! You don't let me have friends! You don't let me explore! You don't even let me have a-a…!" the young girl snarled, angrily running away as soon as she was done talking.

"Sweetie! Wai-" the other voice was soon out of earshot, the youthful female blindly boating out from the house as fast as she possibly could, leaving rushed footsteps through the sand beneath her scalie paws, not sure where to go, only knowing she had to go far away.

After sprinting aimlessly, the quadruped girl soon stopping to catch her breath, panting with her tongue out, feeling the weight of the explorer bag she always carried around. She tried looking around to properly locate herself, soon gazing upon a small formation of trees surrounding a small lake… the landscape around being completely covered in sand, the horizon being full of dunes, and the occasional sandy wind.

" _It's the little oasis near town. Boy oh boy, I must have run a lot!"_ she thought, a bit proud of herself, her grin soon turning into a frown, as she slowly made her way to the lake on the desert, remembering the events that just took place.

" _Mom is just so… controlling of everything. It's honestly infuriating! All other kids think I'm weird 'cause I'm always home thanks to her 'lessons'... And she refuses to let me prove myself!"_ she huffs, rolling her eyes _"Like… C'mon! Just a single dungeon! I'm not asking to take a swing on The World's Edge! (as much as I'd love to!) Nor am I asking for a trip to the Great Canyon! (but she really could take me there on my hatchday!)"_

The pokémon almost falls on the water, being so deep in thought. She merely sighs, the last bits of her anger turning fully into confusion and sadness _"Seriously! Even Little Sandrop Cave would do! And that dungeon's so laughable that none of the guilds ever go there! Why did she even give me this stupid bag, if all I do is walk around with berries and water on it!"_ she growled, biting the bag's singular strap (that went around her neck and shoulder) in frustration.

The little pokémon finally stares at the water underneath her, seeing her image reflected on the water, her red eyes staring for a moment at the heart-shaped yellow scale on top of her head, her beak-like grey snout frowning a bit, as she notices some sand on her chest's white tuft, shaking her head and quadruped body to dust off some sand on her scales, producing a distinctive, soft clanging melody, characteristic of her species, Jangmo-o.

When she is satisfied with the fast cleaning, the female dragon lowered her head towards the water, carefully drinking some of the pure, refreshing liquid, feeling utterly renewed after it.

Smiling at long last, she sat on the hot, sandy ground beneath her, staring at the distance, the sun burning high in the sky, the ever so common winds carrying harmless sand around, with a few slim trees hanging here and there, most around the Oasis where she stood.

Her smile soon turned into a frown once more _"Ugh… Everything here is so… dull! Everywhere I look It's the same! This desert is like the village, the villagers… And like my mother! Boring! Boring! Boring!"_ she mumbled the last few parts, stomping on the ground in her little tantrum, coughing and shaking herself once more, when sand inevitably hit her face.

" _Can't something cool happen… for once!? Oh Gods, Legendaries and Guardians, I promise I'll beg thee no mo-"_ her train of thought was soon interrupted by a loud bang, followed by a flash of light. The little Jangmo-o covered her face, as she gazed at the distance bewildered, a mushroom cloud forming in the horizon right past the small oasis- even further from town!

" _...Well damn! Guess that nagging deities pays off!"_ she smirked and readily took off, charging recklessly towards the sudden explosion, getting sand everywhere, and clanging her scales with sheer excitement.

* * *

…

…

….

Everything hurts.

Everywhere stings.

But somehow, he was slowly recovering his consciousness. He could hear ringing, again. His head was killing him, again. He was panicking, again… But at least, he seemed to be waking up for good this time. Or so he hoped.

And that damn _wind_. It was still as irritating as before!

Yet he could feel… Sense something approaching. It was making him want to get up, despite his aching members, his energies were no longer only going down-

"Heeeeeeey!"

The voice was jovial, young… Feminine? It seemed to belong to a very energetic person. Or at least that was what he got from that single sentence. He couldn't really see them- since he was afraid to open his eyes for now- if only to not end up blind like last time. The sun scorching his face surely didn't help.

He heard a few more words, though he couldn't really make it out. He soon heard hasty footsteps, then… sliding? And then he heart the steps getting closer to where he was laying.

"...-kay? Hey!" That same female voice said, immediately touching him with… something leathery and somewhat rough.

"Uuughhh…" Came a long groan of reply, surprisingly, he was feeling his energy return even faster now. Like someone had suddenly injected coffee directly on his blood.

He felt a shadow loom over him, finally feeling brave enough to open his eyes. What he saw made him wish he hadn't though.

A… peculiar looking lizard was staring right back at him. It's strange red eyes staring at him with endless curiosity. He felt very unnerved, he couldn't recognize this creature. He was frozen, only muffling his screams to avoid making it mad, and immediately attack him. Holy crap, was this some weird Komodo Dragon's child- Was he on a nest? Do mother Komo-

"Finally! You had me pretty scared there! You don't seem wounded" She said, the same jovial female voice from earlier. Ok, he was clearly having a very trippy, very lucid-

"Hey! You ok? Oh Manaphy, you must be parched! Here!" She picks up a bottle with her clawed… paw? She then moved it to her… beak? Snout? And tried opening the thing with it, only to pull too strongly, and suddenly drench the already scared and confused male. That was the last straw.

"AAAAH! W-W-Wha- I-I-I'm Y-Y-You?" he got up, noticing how _huge_ this gigantic dinosaur was! It was almost twice his size! And he was clearly on his own two feet! "AAAAAH! H-HUGE!" He stuttered, trembling on his very core, the female dragon only tilted her head, with a sad frown, flinching momentarily.

"Sorry! It slipped! Erm- I can step away if you'd like!" she embarrassedly tried to soothe him, still holding the bottle, and taking a step back, to give the frightened little thing some space "I'm Jangmo-o! I live just around the block! Nice to meet ya!"

As if the metaphorical engines in his brain finally began moving, he suddenly had a realisation "P-Pokémon! Y-You… You're a p-pokémon! In R-Real life! T-T-Talking!" He stuttered, pointing an accusing 'finger' at her, only to see a yellow, stubby hand instead of his usual five fingered one.

"Erm. Yeah. So are you! We have so much in common!" She suppressed a giggle, as if she was hearing a joke from the dead serious and panicking little guy in front of her.

He heard the girl, but instead was focused on looking at his 'hand', then he slowly moved his head downwards, seeing his now round body, encased by a white shell, light-yellow round small feet with two toes each… By all accounts, he was- "A T-T-TOGEPI!?"

As the tiny fairy type looked himself over, only freaking out more, she decided to try and say something "Yeah! Erm. Um. Mama says to take deep breaths and some pauses so you won't stutter! Worked for me!" she innocently smiled at him.

The togepi stared back at her, silent, with an expression of sheer despair and inconsolable sadness, his mouth open, as he took deep, chaotic and desperate breaths.

"...See! Just like that! Now you should feel better!"

"NO!" he angrily spat, making the clueless jangmo-o take another step back and flinch once more, a sad expression on her face.

He frowned too, he himself taking a step back and wiping some water off his face. Gulping, trying to think, trying to reason what was-

"Erm… I've never seen you around here, Togepi! Who are you?" The seemingly unbeatable lizard spoke once more.

The togepi opened his mouth to angrily shout something, but paused as nothing came out. He began thinking frantically, trying to scan his brain for anything that could answer that very simple question. Who was he? What was his name? His mother's name? His favorite song? Anything!

….Anything?

...No...

...There was nothing...

...Now with everything crashing down on him, on those fateful 6 or 7 minutes of being awake, the togepi decided it was a good time to cry.

He suddenly sat back down on the sad, his stubby tiny arms on his eyes, as tears dropped on the dry sand bellow.

The jangmo-o was really, really confused with literally everything that was happening. She had no clue what to do. She only knew she needed to do something- And like always, she followed her very first instinct/idea.

Suddenly, the small spike ball pokémon was enveloped by a somewhat (at least on his perspective) large tail, a slender, tough body pressing against his round one carefully, while a head gently touched his little 'crown' on his head, the dragon nuzzling him in a very strange, very soothing hug.

And just like that, he was hugging back, his sobbing face pressing against her neck, while his small soft spikes touched her head, his arms pitifully trying to wrap around her chest.

Weirdly enough, he was feeling like a car battery that was being supercharged with energy, his heart beating faster, though not uncomfortably so, his sadness being purged by the calming and comforting energy he was feeling.

"...There! When I feel down, I always want a hug! Nothing it can't fix, I say!" she cheerfully declared. Silently, the chick pokémon agreed.

He was unsure for how long the two just stayed there- two complete strangers, in the middle of god-knows-where, in a crater under harsh sunlight just… Embracing one another. No words were needed, the Jangmo-o was feeling how that barely functioning mess of a Togepi put himself together, while the fairy type, for once since he awoke, was feeling that perhaps it was not so bad. She reminded him that perhaps it was not so bad. Not so bad…

" _At least I remembered a song I like…"_ he sniffed, smiling melancholically, and simply… staying there a little longer. Until a sudden spark ignited on his mind, a very simple memory, yet one that was previously locked away- Now somehow set free.

"La-Lawrence…" he whispered, his tears finally dry.

"Law-what?"

"Lawrence. I-It's my name. Um." the fairy blushed, when he finally realised they were still embracing, carefully letting go of the bigger pokémon "You a-asked me. I'm Lawrence. I think. I don't remember much..."

The Jangmo-o seemed a bit taken back, for some reason. Her scales hiding the faintest of blushes, while her bright smile was ever present "Oh! Erm- That's a very weird name!" She giggles loudly, making him even more embarrassed.

"Well, you can call me Mirari, then!" Lawrence could see her tail moving, not too unlike a dog's tail wag, a soft melody being heard as she did.

The smaller pokémon smiled and nodded, trying to be sure to remember that name. It was a bit weird for him, but he assumed that it was one that fit a kind hearted, talking dinosaur-lizard-dragon-thingie.

"Say, Larrence... Do you know what happened here?" she questioned, still curious "How did you end up in the middle of that crater? What caused that explosion from earlier? Was it you?"

"I-It's 'Lawrence'. And um..." The still nervous togepi sighed, rubbing his head as it still pained him to think too much "I-I don't know. Again, I don't remember anything- I-I could barely remember my name! T-That and... t-the fact that I'm-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the howling of the wind got even louder, the sand that was carried getting even more annoying, Mirari gasped, suddenly turning around and dashing towards the surface.

"H-Hey!" Lawrence stumbled to follow her, almost tripping on his new, stubby legs, struggling to trek back to Mirari.

"D-Don't leave m- AAAAH!" he froze right beside the dragon, both staring at the distance.

At least three large tornado-like things were forming in the distance, entirely made of wind and sand, ravaging the desert around the wake, a sandstorm forming around them "DUST DEVILS!" Mirari shrieked, her eyes wide.

Lawrence could only shake and tremble as he saw his doom slowly making its way towards them. He snapped back to reality when he felt strong claws grab his tiny arm "C'mon! We gotta move! The village is too far away, but there's a cave nearby! We can stay there until it's over!"

"O-O-Ok!" he barely managed to say, before he was pushed by the dragon type, yet again stumbling his way to keep up with her.

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

A cloaked figure slowly walked by the desert, leaving noticeable footprints on the sandy ground as they seemed to be almost in a trance.

When they arrived on the little Oasis, very well known by travelers and denizens of this specific place, the figure stared to the skied, noting the strange clouds up above.

" _That absurd release of energy… Could it be?"_ They kept pondering, now seeing the unusually violent sandstorm, together with three wicked dust devils.

" _Why here, of all places? Why now? It makes no sense!"_ The figure began walking around, as if analysing data and evidence of a puzzle, when she made out the faintest traces of steps in the sand near the river.

They got closer, kneeling near the water, examining a very distinctive set of footprints still barely left there, the trail leading directly to the sand tornadoes and huge sandstorm in the distance.

" _No… Did you get involved...!?"_ They then immediately threw away their protective, yet restrictive cloak in one vicious swing, the cloth flying with the wind, a gray and gold blur suddenly dashing across the desert, fearlessly going straight towards the hellish weather.

" _Please stay safe. And please, stay away from the human."_ They prayed internally, growling as they felt the flying sand starting to touch their tough, clanging scales.

* * *

"We're almost there!"

"Y-You said t-that t-three t-times!"

"You stuttered three times!"

The duo was running as fast as their small legs could carry them, further hampered by being against the wind, and actively fighting the sand under their feet.

"T-That's not funny! And has nothing t-to do with what I said!" The one further behind stuttered, already panting "And it was f-four!"

"Hah! Now I heard three!" the one up ahead declared, with her usual grin present, even while they literally ran for their lives.

"S-Still not f-funny!"

" _I can't believe it! I finally made a friend! And not only that, I'm finally going on an adventure! Yay! By the gods, he even told me his name! Usually, only very close pokémon do that! Thank you Arceus, thank you, thank you!"_

"W-Wait up! You're t-too fa-fast!"

Mirari seemed to have gotten carried away, since indeed, she was leaving him behind somewhat _"let's try and work on not going out on our first one, I guess!"_

She allowed him to catch up, though with the fairy, also came the sandstorm, and it was getting way too close to comfort!

"Oh boy! We really need to work on that stutter of yours!" Mirari giggled "Have you managed to say a single sentence without stuttering?"

"I-I'm NERVOUS!" Lawrence spat "We're r-running for our… lives in the m-middle o-off… Nowhere… A-And you're worrying a-about my s-stutters!?"

"It is a serious speech impediment! Mama helped me sort mine when I was a hatchling!" she seemed to have limitless energy, this Mirari girl "And besides! What else are we gonna do while we run? Stay quiet?"

"F-FOCUS!" Lawrence almost tripped for what seemed like the hundredth time "A-And you're still t-too F-FAST!"

"It's getting closer to us! If I go any slower, we're gonna get buried!"

And indeed, the demonic looking sandstorm was coming as if to grab then, while the devilish dust devils awaited further back, seeming almost hungry to devour them, even while they kept struggling to run.

"AAAAH! Mirari, I d-don't wanna d-die!"

She suddenly stopped to a halt, making the togepi crash into her, his pitiful weight compared to hers made him only fall flat on his back "OW!"

"I have an idea! I think you'll hate it!" Mirari turned around, almost as if giggling internally.

"W-W-What are y-you-"

She picked him off the sand with her snout, crunching his egg 'armor', and tossing him to her back "Hang on tight!"

And so, before he could protest, Mirari begun dashing at full speed, while Lawrence could only hug tight on her neck, almost bouncing and flying off to certain doom, while screaming as much as his petit lungs allowed.

They could see a rock-like formation up ahead, it was the cave! Though they'd have to turn left to reach the proper entrance.

" _Now_ we're getting there!" she screamed undauntingly, feeling the sand already touching her tail, their time already running out, much like Mirari's stamina and Lawrence's vocal cords.

Mirari was starting to huff, finally showing signs of exhaustion, her speed decreasing, and her usually cheery voice no longer there to provide banter and levity to the situation, feeling the sand overtake her tail completely, reaching her hind legs, touching on Lawrence's toes too.

Noticing what was happening, the togepi turned back, looking at the wall of sand looming over them from behind, while the sides tried to flank them, completely helpless, he hugged the dragon type even tighter.

That was it. They had struggled to no avail. And it was _**his fault**_ for slowing her down. They were going to die, and he was the responsable.

His fear, powerlessness, guilt and stress all suddenly triggered some sort of instinct that his body had, his heart beating so loud he was sure it was hammering Mirari's scaly back, he suddenly shone a soft, aqua blue, while still hugging the Jangmo-o.

She also sparkled the same color, energy suddenly returning to her legs, her mind, and most importantly, her resolve, her draconic paws out matching the sand, as they gained the upper hand at long last.

With their unexpected second wind, they finally reached the promised haven, Mirari having to jump to her left, dragging the (now screaming again) togepi with her.

She fell and rolled with her bag, while Lawrence similarly stumbled, letting go of her mid-air, and flying even further down the cave, the sand continuing forward outside, spitting some leftover sand inside the cave, similar to the aftermath of a deadly explosion on those action movies.

* * *

**-?** **-**

**My call, can you hear it? This message, can you see it? I'll wait forever, if you'll just come to me.**

…

"Lawry! Larry! Laurie!"

He groaned. Not again.

"Oh, finally! Wakey wakey!"

He slowly got up, still a bit unnerved when he saw a overly friendly lizard who was twice his size, and most likely ten times his weight just smiling down at him.

...Wait. There was an overly friendly lizard staring down at him! Mirari! They were alive!

As soon as he realised that, the petit fairy jumped up and smiled "Mirari! You did it! We s-survived!"

She was about to say something, when she suddenly felt the soft petit arms of the togepi hugging her "Heh! Can't take all the credit, your Life Dew really saved our hides!" her tail yet again touched his back, lightly returning the hug as she pressed against him.

He looked up, still embracing the dragon "Life what now?"

She tilted her head, pausing for a moment "Erm. Yeah. You don't remember the name of your moves? Oh wow! You must have hit your head pretty hard!"

He let go of her, frustrated "How can I know the names of my 'moves'? I'm not a p-pokémon! I'm a human! Or- I-I was a human!"

He kept staring at her, very seriously.

She kept staring at him, blank expression.

"...No joke?" she muttered.

"No! W-Why w-would I joke a-about that!" Lawrence nervously continued, his voice and his tone wavering.

She seemed to be trying to read him, her blood red eyes trying to pierce through his very soul to find a single hint of mischief, or malicious intent.

She found none.

She could only see a confused, desperate and very lonely togepi.

But even still, she couldn't believe him.

Even if her heart ached, she simply could not accept what the fairy said.

She just couldn't. That… That's just not how a human would act, nor how one would look like as a pokémon.

"...You must be very tired after what happened back there. Let's get out of here, and… figure things out later." Mirari said, in a strangely formal and serious tone.

"You… Don't believe me, d-do you…?" he meekly asked, already knowing the answer.

The Jangmo-o didn't reply, she just looked up ahead, fixing her sand stained bag on her shoulder.

Lawrence frowned, feeling even more helpless, now that the first and only pokémon he ever met refused to believe him. He couldn't blame her, it was a pretty crazy story, and it was all happening so fast. It was foolish to assume she'd just believe everything he had to say.

Instead of dwelling in his own misery, he instead decided to finally look around where they were. The first thing he noticed was that the entrance they took was nowhere in sight, as if they just entered a portal.

The rocky walls of the cave were… unlike anything he'd ever seen! Said walls were purple in color, as if the rock that formed them were some sort of purple amethyst… He could even see his reflection from some of them! They seemed to produce some sort of natural light. He couldn't help but frown, when he saw a small, grumpy and very tired-looking togepi staring at him from the purple mirror of the cave.

But the best part was yet to come, there were a few stalagmites on the ground- all purple, but around them, they had a bunch of shiny gems 'glued' on them, from various colors, from red to pink, all of them shining like spotlights on a theater. He was sure that even with all of his memories, he couldn't have witnessed such a sight in the human world!

The Jangmo-o seemed quite interested as well, though not nearly as much as Lawrence "Never been to Little Sandrop Cave before either. They always said it's quite the sight. Now I can see why!"

"Mhm…" he stared at one of the gem filled spikes on the ground, seeing his image being reflected in various colors and sizes. A tone of both melancholy and awe in his voice.

She frowned too, before looking away "C'mon. We gotta get through this dungeon- hopefully the sandstorm's down by then." she started to walk, he could only follow.

While they started to go down the narrow corridor of the cave, Lawrence couldn't help but look at Mirari, since she was turned back and leading them, noticing something weird "M-Mirari! Y-Your scale thing! You had six! Y-You're missing one!

She looked at her right side, and indeed, she seemed to have lost the middle scale "Ah. Hahah. Don't worry about it! It's actually normal for my species to do so!"

With his confused expression, she decided to clarify "My species, Jangmo-o, is known for being very battle oriented! Our bodies are constantly shedding and losing scales as we grow! They always grow back, even stronger!"

"That's cool! So i-it's like an ever evolving natural protection? Like armor?"

"You could say that! I must have dropped it by the entrance or something. It was a rough landing." Mirari pondered "They say our scales are great memorabilia- because of their colors, toughness and can even handle well heat! Mama made a pot out of the first scale she shed on a dungeon."

"Um… Y-You've said that a lot… I-I don't get it, 'Dungeon'?" he confusedly asked.

"Don't tell me… You seriously don't know? You don't remember?" Mirari halted, turned back and stared at him with wide eyes.

He could only shrug and shake his head.

"Lawrence… We've entered on the first floor of a Mystery Dungeon!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And so it begins! I decided to cut the dungeoneering to next chapter to make this one more cohesive, character focused and introductory! Hope it isn't too short. Also, Lawrence should really learn to calm down and control that stutter, huh?
> 
> Next time: Trust is important in any team, especially when you're lost in a maze of gems! Why does no one explore such a beautiful cave?


	2. Shimmer

" _Life is harsh to some far away settlements, who lack access to either a natural source of water, or a dedicated water type to produce it. We must make sure their needs are met."_

_-Shah Mienshao of the Odyssey Guild, official decree._

* * *

"Have you felt that as well?" a soft, yet powerful voice said.

…

"I assumed as much. Please close the-"

A loud bang was heard, much to the female voice's unamusement.

"It appears to have come from the sand continent. it was just a flicker, but you and I both know who made it."

…

"Fourteen years it took. And at the worst possible time as well."

…

"Your orders are to stop your current assignment, and immediately start looking for the target. Eliminate _her_ if needed."

…

"Do not question our master's will. Go at once. And keep your eyes on the _other_ target as well. The others are still trying to locate him."

As soon as she was done speaking, a very quiet sound could be heard, the one she was speaking to teleporting away just like that.

"Always so rude."

* * *

**Chapter II: Shimmer**

**-Little Sandrop Cave-**

**Floor: 1**

.

"Um… A blistery dungeon?"

"No, you dummy! It's 'mystery dungeon'! You might as well tell me you forgot how to use your moves as well!"

"Uh…S-So..."

"...Are you gonna ask me what moves are…?"

"..."

"Oh boy…"

The duo just entered a hallway very similar to… all others, or so Lawrence believed. The one thing that broke the pattern were the various shining gems scattered the rocky formations on the corridors. He hoped the Jangmo-o leading them had a better idea of what exactly they were doing.

"In my defence, I… kinda know what moves are. I… J-Just have no idea how to use them! I don't know how I managed to help you with Life S-Stew!"

"Life Dew…"

"Whatever!" Lawrence huffed, a bit frustrated.

Then, more silence between the two issued, the former human was sure that the dragon in front of him was deep in thought, though he couldn't tell what she was thinking, exactly. Eventually, Mirari stopped just before crossing into another strange corridor, the togepi doing the same.

"It's… Quite hard to explain. You don't seem to know the very basics- literally every pokémon has at least a notion of what dungeons and moves are!"

"I t-told you! I'm human!" he declared one more time.

"Sure you are." Mirari rolled her eyes, still thinking "Look, I can tell you're not messing with me… Or at least I think you aren't."

"Um… I have no r-reason to! Why would I…?" Lawrence looked at her with a hurt expression. She seemed to be affected by it.

"...Fine. Erm. I think I'll start with dungeons…" she looked around, as if cautions about something "They are like mazes. Random ones. Some have floors, which you need to go all the way down, others are just an area- like a forest, you just need to get out of it's area of effect."

"Area of effect? S-So… Dungeons are like an energy in an area?" the togepi tilted his head, paying close attention.

"It's not a bad way of describing them." Mirari nodded "Most pokémon would describe it more simply as a 'curse'."

When Mirari saw his confused expression,she decided to elaborate further "Especially with the other things that happen here- all sorts of wacky stuff! From items seemingly coming from nowhere, to…" she paused.

"To…?" Lawrence walked towards her, as if waiting to hear a secret.

"To… The Shay-" she had to stop abruptly, her tail suddenly smacking the togepi in the face, making him fall on his back with an "OW!" a heavy looking rock nearly hitting him, instead breaking on the purple wall behind them.

"Lawrence, look!" Mirari said as she took a fighting stance, her head low, her tail raised, her claws ready to be used.

The fairy type did as instructed, gasping as he saw a very angry, very strange looking Geodude, with creepy white eyes and a strange dark aura visible around it.

"I-It's a Geodude! Why are they attacking us? Can't we t-talk to them…?" he alarmedly told her, seeing her aggressive pose.

"That's a bad idea!" she said, almost as if telling something obvious "Not gonna work at all! He's a Shaytan! Pure evil energy taken form!" she growled, seeing as it prepared to use rock throw again.

"W-Wha-" he couldn't finish, being interrupted by another rock being hurled at him, having to roll his way out, on sheer instinct, the fragments of the breaking rock scratching him slightly.

"Careful! Those things attack to kill! Do the same!" Mirari growled, charging at the literal rock pokémon, jumping in the air and spinning, her tail glowing a royal blue, connecting with the monster's head, the impact throwing him to the wall of the cave.

"How'd you like that! Dragon tail always works!" she turns to smile at the still terrified togepi, not noticing as the geodude rolls back with a rollout, hitting her right in the back.

As the dragon type recovers from the sudden attack, the trembling Lawrence can only stare at the Shaytan, who roars in anger, and rolls yet again, not being fast enough at such a close range, he gets hit by its full power, similarly being thrown away by its impact.

"Pokémon usually have four moves they have mastered!" Mirari screams, jumping back up, her golden, heart shaped head scale shines a beautiful silver, that is reflected strangely well by the gems that surround them "I'll break you with iron head! Haaaah!" she goes down, slamming it straight at the geodude's face once more, breaking it in half, its two parts quickly turning into dark sand, dissipating into nothingness.

"...You just need to find yours! Even those with no experience have at least two!" she declares with a sigh, then continues with her ever so present smile, looking back to Lawrence.

The fallen togepi slowly gets up, his 'nose' bleeding, his head with a bruise, and his expression clearly one of dizziness "I… don't... think I wanna do that... e-ever again…" he mumbles, before going back down.

* * *

**-Western Ghobi Desert-**

**Weather: Heavy Sandstorm(!)**

**.**

A large, grey and gold draconic pokémon fearlessly crosses the sands of the desert, covering her eyes with her armored, scaly arm. No longer dashing, as she desperately searches in the merciless dunes, and on this strange crater that was the epicenter of her investigation. Her weight and strength allowing her to not be pulled by the dust devils that ravage the area, her careful positioning helping greatly.

" _Come on, where are you? I'm sure this is where the energy came from- And knowing you, you most likely tried to be the first one to go see it!"_ she sighs, her stoic expression turning into one of anger _"If the human lays a single claw on you-"_ her own clawed hand clutches into a fist, shining a royal blue energy.

" _I have no choice. I must resort to those forbidden powers to find you. I'm sorry my brothers."_ She soon joins her hands, managing to find serenity and concentration in the middle of a desert storm, with raging winds. Her eyes glowing the same royal blue as before, her similarly colored aura appearing as she tapped into those 'forbidden powers'.

Soon she was assaulted with a barrage of sights, sounds, tastes, ideas, feelings and desires- all not really her own, though with sheer focus, she managed to narrow down her aura scrying.

Soon she saw a lonely, isolated cave covered by the sandstorm, inside many colorful lights shone, though the ones that were detected by her were the ones from living beings- Especially from the one who was most dear to her at the moment: a jovial, brilliant red and yellow, with a hint of royal blue.

She could hear them, faintly whispers to one another, apparently they were talking "That's the stairs! Most dungeons have them as passage to the other floors!... Don't question it." came a distorned, female voice. The looker couldn't help but smile, she taught her well.

" _There you are. But who is this with you…?"_ At the side of this aura, there was another one. Stranger. It clearly was a pokémon, at least in body, but the spiritual energy was… different, to say the least. This one had a uncommon shape, and didn't fit its silhouette- A strange mix of sky blue, green and-

Before she could analyse further, her vision suddenly came to a halt, abruptly cutting from her intended use, and showing another scene entirely. She saw a mysterious figure- Wearing a creepy black cloak, covering themselves fully. They were floating camly, before stopping… and slowly looking towards her point of view, as if staring right into a peeping eye, the face underneath the robes being completely hidden by a black, demonic looking mask, the eyes glowing behind red lens. The figure then begun flying faster, her vision cracking, breaking her aura sight, and making her fall on her knees, panting in utter exhaustion and shock, her heart beating faster in fear, a single droplet of blood dripping from her snout, on the sand.

" _Shit. He is already in the continent. He must have felt her enter the dungeon… Damn it!"_ she cleaned the blood with the back of her claw, with her tough, armor-like scales _"Now he felt me using aura. It won't be long until he tracks us down. I must go quickly, else he will…"_ She growled at the thought, getting back on her feet at once, turning around to face the direction of the dungeon.

She proceeded to then dash towards it, even as her body begged her to stop, both from her previous endeavors on the way there, and the fatigue indulcing aura use, her willpower alone being the source of her energy.

* * *

**-Little Sandrop Cave-**

**Floor: 2**

**.**

"W-Where have the stairs gone!?" a togepi with some dry blood on his nose asked, dumbfounded.

"Ah. Well! Once you go up 'em, you can't go back down!- or vice versa!" the jangmo-o explained "Again, you should turn off any expectation for logic or reason in here! Some dungeons have portals for pitfalls, others have secret doors in nonsensical places- or even blue lava!"

"... Wow. I kinda wanna s-see blue lava…" Lawrence pontered a bit, imagining the sight.

"I'm a bit worried that the one thing that surprised you was that." Mirari replied, looking at him with a playfully serious expression.

"S-Shut up! Blue lava sounds awesome!" the fairy blushed, huffing defensively.

Mirari only giggled in response "I know right! That must look so cool! I wonder if it's cold! I hate cold!"

Lawrence only sweatdropped with an unamused expression, looking around to see the same purple walls with the beautiful gems ornamenting the room they were in. Noting the various small reflections of him and his companion, almost like little, colorful and shiny mirrors.

"Oh! Look over here, Lawrence!" he looked immediately, expecting another rock to be hurled at his face. Instead he just saw a quadruped lizard looking into a spherical… blue thingie?

"What's that?" he tilted his head, confused.

"It's an oran berry! It's a true gift of the gods for long journeys!" she picked it up with her claw, showing it, before pocketing.

"Huh? Why's that? T-That thing barely heals you right?" it healed like, 10 or 15 hp. That was horrible!

Mirari's eyes went wide, shocked as if she saw someone say the desert was full of water "Wha- Of course not! Those things can really come in clutch! Heal major wounds on the strongest pokémon- and massively help with stamina loss in a dungeon!"

"Huh? Stamina loss?" he yet again questioned.

"Ah. I guess I didn't explain that. In a dungeon, your body is… sped up. Actually, time itself is messed up here. You might enter on the morning, and leave at night, if you aren't careful! Or maybe it might be so slow, you leave with barely any difference in time, but utterly tired!" the dragon took a long breath to prepare for more.

"So you have a boost in both in healing, and in tiredness." She explained "Which means, you may recover faster from hits, but you might get hungry faster too! That's why those who venture into those places must make sure their bodies are trained to handle 'em!"

"O-Oh no! Then we need to get out of here f-fast!" he exclaimed, with his small hands on his stomach area, scared.

"Heh, don't worry! We'll handle it fine! They only mess with your head if you stay for way too long!" she smiled, looking around the corridors that lead to other parts of the dungeon, while the shocked togepi only stared at her.

"W-What do you mean, m-mess with you h-head!?"

* * *

**-Western Ghobi Desert, Dungeon Entrance-**

**Weather: Heavy Sandstorm(!)**

**.**

The large, female dragon finally arrived, exhaustion almost paralyzing her body, as she stared at the dungeon's door, examining the rock intensely, trying to compare it with the vision she had.

What truly sealed the deal was the small, lonely grey scale left on the ground, almost hidden by the sands, or carried away by the heavy winds. Getting close and kneeling, she grabbed it, looking almost proud and nostalgic, the petit scale seeming dwarfed by her large claws.

Shaking her head, and clutching the clue, her determination got renewed, and she fearlessly entered the cave.

" _Hang on sweetie. Mama's coming."_

* * *

**-Little Sandrop Cave-**

**Floor: 3**

**.**

"Let's go! We've been lucky, not too many Shaytans 'round here!"

"M-Much to my heart's content."

"Oh, c'mon! They aren't that bad- at least these weaker ones!"

"W-Wha- T-There are s-s-stronger ones!?" he gulped, remembering the whooping he received from a single, apparently 'weak' shadow geodude.

"Don't worry, they only appear on places where the curse has completely taken over! Usually when the area is spreading- that's when the guilds usually step in!" Mirari seemed way too excited about this part in particular, for some reason.

"So there are peop- p-pokémon that _willing_ go in these places?" he asked yet again, puzzled.

The Jangmo-o kept walking through the shining hallways, leading the duo quite excitedly, much to the fairy type's dismay. The gems around them seeming to begin taking a more reddish and clear blue color, instead of the usually random, colorful pattern, the walls also a darker shade of purple.

"Of course! They are heroes- venturing in the unknown for treasure, riches, renown and fame!" Mirari's eyes sparkled a bit as she spoke "Oh, and to help pokémon too."

"They sound more like mercenaries…" Lawrence commented.

"Nah! Mercenaries are cutthroats! Adventurers have honor and pride!" she declared, though he could sense this was more of an opinion, rather than a fact.

"W-Whatever you s-" he nonchalantly replied, before being pushed by the female, nearing being hit by a water pulse, that traveled far behind him.

"You gotta be careful! Pay attention to your surroundings!" she softly spoke, before stepping in front of him. The room in front of them being guarded by a shadowy Slowpoke, Geodude and Purloin.

Before Lawrence could utter a response, the geodude blocked in path in front of the dragon, the purloin running and jumping on it's rocky back, gracefully spinning in the air and falling right behind the togepi, making him almost scream as they were flanked.

"No more messing around, Lawrence! We gotta fight!" she growled, charging her tail with a blue light, spinning to whip the geodude with it, though the rock type managed to block it with it's sturdy arms.

"E-Easy for you t-t-to say!" he trembled, gulping and looking to the expressionless dark feline, his eyes resting on it's shining claws. Frozen by fear, he could only put his little arms over his head, as the cat slashed him multiple times, some hitting his natural armor, while the rest left bruises on his crown.

"Lawrence!" she yelled, trying to turn around and help, only to be held by the tail, and getting pushed into a full body slam by the geodude, making her fall momentarily.

The Shaytan Slowpoke seemed to be slowly approaching the battle, making Mirari's situation even worse.

Seeing the situation get dire, Lawrence tried his best to think and plan accordingly _"Ugh… The games never really explained how it happened! Pokémon just- learned stuff! That's all!"_ he saw the purloin preparing for another onslaught, and seeing the struggling Jangmo-o behind him, he decided to go for it.

"Aaaah! Aura Sphere!" he put his two arms up, and moved them down in a swipe motion, feeling his heart stopping for a second, closing his eyes and… waiting… and waiting… Opening one of them, seeing the feline's claw inches from his lowered head.

"U-Um… G-Gonna g-give up!?" he very horribly tried to fake confidence. Looking straight to the Shaytan's face, seeing her blank expression, frozen, his two arms still pointing towards her.

It was then he saw a sudden slash mark appear on its chest, making it take a step back, angrily looking down at him.

"Nice Aerial Ace! Didn't know a togepi could learn that!" Mirari complimented from behind him, getting up and charging an iron head, headbutting the geodude with massive force, he seemed to barely survive.

" _Fight on instinct is all I can do now… Ok… Swipe with my hand, and try to focus my energy!"_ He took a deep breath, charging his attack once more, the purloin running and then jumping up, revealing its wicked claws, ready to strike and cut him to bits.

" _Please work, please work, please work!"_ he bit his lip, and swiped down, this time looking and seeing a blue energy forming around his arm, being unleashed and travelling through the air, hitting the feline straight on the chest, breaking it in half, soon turning into dust and vanishing.

Lawrenced opened his eyes and mouth wide in surprise "I-I did it!" he exclaimed in childlike happiness.

"I'm so happy for you!" he turned to look at her, seeing a geodude holding her in place, while a slowpoke shot a stream of water on her ducked face, as she coughed and gasped for air.

"O-OH! SORRY!" he yelled, running as fast as his little toes could carry him, eventually closing his eyes and dashing forward, slashing the water type with his aerial ace, making it stop its attack on the dragoness.

"Thanks, partner!" she smiled, jumping and spinning around, her tail bashing the geodude's face, making it let go of her, and fly off into the room, colliding with the wall, and turning to dust.

The slowpoke made a surprisingly menacing face, charging an attack aimed straight to the meddling fairy type, who was dangerously close to it "AAH! M-Mirari! F-Finish him off!"

"Let's go!" she turned back and charged something on her maw, while the togepi prepared another attack, his arm shining sky blue, her snout radiating a fire-like royal blue color.

When the Shaytan was about to unleash its devastating attack, it was met with a very quick, impossible to dodge slash, making it look down, then a beam of dragon fire hit it suddenly, obliterating it into nothing.

The duo was side by side, panting, bruised and winded. But they were victorious. Their prize was the stairs, right on the ending of the room.

"...You could have h-hit me with t-that!"

She tilted her head, before realising what he meant "That was dragon breath! A… erm… Y'know, dragon type move!"

"So…?"

"...Don't tell me you've forgotten your type too!" She declared, baffled.

"Wha- no! I-I'm a normal type! R-Right!?" Lawrence seemed completely sure of that, and it scared the hell out of Mirari.

"Erm. Noooo… You are a fairy type!" She tried answering, almost as if waiting for the punchline to come "Y'know... the girly, vain, weak and gossiper type!"

"Oh wow, t-thanks! And what are dragon types?" He sarcastically said.

"Why, we are the courageous, awesome, most powerful and badass type, of course!" she proudly said, closing her eyes and holding her head up high.

"M-Must be the humblest type too."

"You bet! We're the most humble ever! Dragons are the best at being humble!" Her grin only got even brighter.

And he could only sweatdrop, and silently make his way towards the stairs.

"W-Wait up, Lawrence!" Mirari exclaimed, after opening her eyes and seeing the small pokémon already halfway there.

"G-Guess you guys aren't the most perceptive type!" he began dashing in front of her, trying to reach the stairs first.

In the end, they both arrived at the same time. If only because the togepi tripped, and the jangmo-o stopped to laugh at his misery, only to allow him time to get back up and run some more.

* * *

**-Little Sandrop Cave-**

**Floor: 4**

**.**

"What a-are fairies even good for, anyway?"

Mirari pondered as they kept peacefully walking through the dark purple, gem filled halls "I dunno! You guys are good at helping stuff- like healing or protecting. And being cute, I guess."

"So you're saying I'm cute?" he playfully asked.

"Erm. I guess. But hey, at least you're not pink all over! I don't like pink."

"Really? But you're a girl!"

"Yeah. Soooo…?"

"...Nevermind, you're right."

"Uh-huh. I guess." Mirari cocked her head a bit, but kept focusing on leading them.

They walked across another empty hallway, and more morbidly silent rooms. Those gems making this silent mirror maze twice as creepy, to Lawrence. He decided to stop looking around those reflections, if only to avoid getting startled by his own mirror image. Deciding to instead keep looking at his small arms, and shell-like protection.

"Why're you checking yourself out like that?"

"Hm? Ah!" he blushed a bit, stopping his curious examination of his fragile frame "Y-You know! Um…"

"What…?" she cocked her head, stopping their walking a bit.

"Things are so… different here! I didn't even know what type I was until not long ago…" he sighed, blushing a bit more "...And um… I _really_ wanted to be a dragon type… Or at least something cool and exciting like dark- o-or fighting! Not some pink fairy! I was ok with normal too- and I think normal is… boring."

She seemed a bit taken back, but smiled kindly "You're really into that whole human idea, huh? Look- as awesome, incredible and powerful as dragons are- fairy's not _that_ bad! At least you're not a grimer!"

"Gee. 'Be ok with yourself, a-at least yo-you're not a literal walking pile of sludge' is quite uplifting. Y-You should be a counselor." Lawrence rolled his eyes.

"Aw, thanks! I try." she beamed.

Lawrence groaned "You really don't do sarcasm."

She either ignored it, or didn't hear his comment.

"Lawrence look! It's the stairs!" she pointed.

"Oh thank god. This place is g-giving me the creeps…" he gulped, remembering the shadows and the unnerving 'mirrors'.

"C'mon! I'll race ya there again!" She pushed him to the side, running towards the way out.

"M-Mirari! T-That's not funny!" he struggled to follow, eventually tripping again on a little rock. Hearing a sudden _'CLICK'._

And as if time stopped, he looked down, seeing a strange, metal-like contraption, with a rune glowing in the middle, right where he was laying on.

"Wha-" and just like that, the fairy warped, nowhere to be seen.

"LAWRENCE! Oh no! Oh no!" She gulped, running in circles, frantically looking around.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, he was on an entirely new room, surrounded by big, glowy gems. The likes of which acted like giant mirrors, dwarfing him, and allowing the former human to gaze upon his togepi form in all its glory. Walking towards one, he touched it to see him again. A pokémon. In the middle of a reality warping cave. And his one guide was a weird dragon girl with a weird name. And he was a _Togepi_.

" _Come on. Even a turtwig would do. And I really dislike turtwig! Hell, even those weird ones from Unova would do- and I didn't even play Unova!... I think!"_ he sighs, his amnesia turning even self pity into a more complicated endeavor, he decided on simply turning around for the time being. Now looking into the dark purple room, feeling as if it had grown even bigger, making him look even tinier compared to… Everything, really.

At least the wounds on his nose and head had healed. _"Guess that being a pokémon has its benefits, if even a meek one like me can walk off wounds like that."_ He gazed at the three corridors that lead further into the dungeon, feeling like death itself was waiting under the lights of the gemstones.

" _Urk. I better go find her- Else I'll be in trouble!"_ Lawrence nodded to himself, running towards the nearest corridor.

He stumbles his way towards a double hallway, feeling as if he had been before- cursing himself for not paying attention where Mirari was taking him.

Then the former human could hear footsteps in the distance, making him jump a bit "Um… M-Mirari?... I-I'm here!"

He walked towards the sound, hearing menacingly loud footsteps, making the togepi stops dead on his tracks "M-Mirari! T-That's no-not f-funny…!"

He took a step back, his two little hands clutching against one another as he trembled "M-M-Mirari…?" he saw a single plated, stubby leg stepping out of the hallway, red eyes soon staring at him menacingly, a small (yet still bigger than him, ironically) tank pokémon approached, armored to the teeth, his very core was shook and overtaken by an instinctive fear.

" _A-Aron…!"_ Lawrence tried to lift one of his hands and charge the only attack he knew, his arm glowing sky blue, as he swiped from afar, hitting the enemy in the blink of a second, noticing it stood still, and he suddenly felt an aching pain on his attacking hand.

"AAAH-" he clutched it, feeling it sting painfully, the Shaytan seeming unaffected, the togepi's own attack doing more damage to him than his opponent _"Crap! He's steel and rock, and my move was flying! It barely had any effect- and he's so tough too!"_ Lawrence couldn't help but whimper, feeling the pain in his arm only get more intense the more he tried to move it.

The Shaytan growled, its stubby leg turning almost knife-like as he slashed the pained togepi, his little shell protecting against most of the damage, but the feeling was like being hit multiple times in the same open wound, like a punch were actually three.

And he had no idea how he managed to find the strength to turn around and run the other way after so much pain.

He heard the loud sounds of the Aaron following him, to his horror, he was actually slower than an Aron!

And so, the beast started its counterattack, tackling the running togepi to the ground, managing to land a headbutt as a follow-up, the fairy's forehead now bleeding, using the position from under the iron armor pokémon to charge another Aerial Ace, aiming and hitting right in its red eye, making it take a step backward, blindly hitting the togepi on the stomach, as it mindlessly attacked everything in a fit of anger, throwing him just enough for him to stumble back up, and keep running.

He barely managed to dodge another metal claw from the Shaytan, eventually having to stop due to a dead end, the clear gems reflecting the deadly situation only breaking his resolve more and more.

And as the shadow pokémon approached, Lawrence could hear his heart beating faster and faster-

" _I gotta do something! Anything! C'mon!"_ he gulped, thinking and analysing his situation- He couldn't dodge, the thing was too fast for him to run, and he couldn't brawl directly- What could he do!?

And as the shadow steel type jumped for another, most likely deadly cut, time yet again seemed to go to a halt, those claws slowly getting nearer the terrified and helpless fairy.

Recounting his small life, he didn't have much to recollect- from waking up not too long ago, being found by a strange and friendly dragoness, and going on a even stranger, yet short adventure- His mind stopping on the almost picture-esque memory of they embracing in the middle of a crater in the desert. Did he hug his mother like that? His father? His best friend? his sister? He decided to instead focus on remembering how energized and calm he felt after that….

...Remembering that Mirari was most likely waiting for him to come back, much like his father, mother, best friend and sister. The machete-like member of the Shaytan surely nearing his throat, ready to cut his head. He began thinking how crushed she'd be if she learned he perished- The image of the dragon no longer with her signature smile, crying by his pitiful dead self- He then pictured his faceless loved ones, all waiting home for him to return, only for him to be dead because he wasn't strong enough- Only for them to be sad because he was a failure!

" _No. I'm not… I'm not gonna leave them all waiting! I'm not… I'm not gonna die- Not today!"_ his heart beat faster, not out of fear this time around, as he channeled that memory: him hugging Mirari. How powerful he felt. Instead of internalizing this power-

-He let it all out! As if instinct itself guided his actions, he put his aching arm on his forehead, together with his functional one, adrenaline suppressing the pain, as a shiny, rainbow-white ball of light formed in between his hands, right in front of the Aron.

" _I won't… I won't make her cry! I won't make anyone cry!"_ he screamed, his energy building up, then exploding into a bright, sparkling light, this flash burning the steel type, and momentarily disorienting him, enough for the otherwise fatal metal claw leave only a bleeding scratch on the togepi's face.

The Aron flew right past the fairy, crashing against the crystals behind them, scarring the wall, and definitely taking at least some recoil.

Lawrence was stunned, but glad, and he, for the first time since he got here, was fearless "Take this! And this! Die! Die!" he screamed, charging it two more times, the flashes burning and hitting the dazed Shaytan, sparkling across the small area- Now the monster was surrounded with its back against the corner, not the togepi.

And so, after three or more angry attacks, the berserk fairy type saw the aftermath: sparkingling, dark shadows. Some of his own blood, dripping on the rocky ground bellow. His heart decelerating. The pain on his arm, back and forehead returning. He kneeled for a moment, panting. Utterly Exhausted. Not able to muster any moves even if he needed to. But it wasn't over.

He got up, limping towards the path the Aron was blocking, trying to ignore the red liquid leaking from his forehead, his dizziness and growling stomach not helping.

Negative thoughts and feelings began to take hold of his lonely soul, whispers of failure and nihilism taking over- _**would she really be waiting for him? What if she already left? What if she's dead? What if she doesn't want such a pathetic, weak fairy by her side? What if she finds him a bore? What if she would rather face the sandstorm outside than be with him? She's so annoying anyway! What if he just left her? What if-**_

"LAWRENCE!" he heard a high, squeaky voice filled with desperation and worry.

Those stray thoughts soon being put at bay- When he came back to, he noticed how much he travelled with a limp, without noticing. His body refusing to give up even as his mind slowly succumbed.

"I'm sorry! I'm so SORRY!" he heard that voice filled with emotion, then he huffed as his blurred vision saw someone dashing towards him, clashing against his tiny body and… holding him.

What if… she just wanted a friend? Another stray thought whispered in his mind, though this one's voice was much more soothing.

"I did this! I was stupid! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I-I tried so hard to find you- Arceus I was so scared I-"

"It's… Ok." he croaked, feeling as Mirari silenced herself, only tightened the hug.

"Oh, Lawrie! You're bleeding- You're barely on your feet!" he felt water drop on his body, together with some sniffing. Was she…

"P-Please don't... d-don't cry..." That was the entire point...

And before he knew it, he was crying as well. His only usable arm hugging her scaly body.

"I know! Here, hang on tight! Please!" He was softly placed on the ground, his blurred sight only getting worse- exhaustion trying to claim him.

And suddenly, he felt something being forced down his throat, something squeezing a… very, very weird tasting juice, and just like that, he was no longer fainting.

He blinked, his vision clearing, seeing a crying lizard in front of him, worried and looking like she was expecting the doctor to tell if a patient was alive or not.

Lawrence took a deep breath, and before she could even open her mouth again, he was hugging her once more.

"M-Mirari!" he exclaimed, no longer exhausted, and capable of coherent thinking once more. Positivity once more refilling his lost energy as he kept close to Mirari "I'm f-f-fine!"

"Oh, Lawrence!" was all the jangmo-o could say, nuzzling the top of his head, her tail pushing them closer in the hug.

"What did you do? I feel so refreshed!" he happily questioned, smiling brightly.

"I gave you an Oran Berry silly!" she sniffed and cleaned some leftover tears.

"Oh wow. R-Really? Geez, you weren't kidding!..." he took another deep breath, each breath seemed to be the first after drowning- His heart beating so fast and so loud, he was sure the scaled girl could hear it too.

"Heh, I know right! Those things are amazing!" He could swear he felt she was staring at him.

They silently just… stood there, like last time. Catching their breath after that scare.

"That was a trap by the way- a warp trap, to be more precise. Yeah dungeons have them laying around sometimes." she giggled, answering the question he was about to ask.

"Oh wow. As if they weren't scary a-already!" he sighed.

"Yeah. And I pushed you right into one... What happened to you, anyway?" The jangmo-o asked, not at all trying to hide her melancholy.

* * *

"That's amazing, Lawrence! You managed to defeat a much stronger opponent like that! And you've used Dazzling Gleam too!" she smiled, the two walking side by side "That was so heroic of you!"

"Um. S-Sure! Still don't know how I did it though!" he bluffed, too embarrassed to say he used the memory of them hugging to give himself strength.

"There's the stairs! That should be the last floor, I think!" she pointed, Lawrence nodded and moved, noticing she waited behind.

Seeing him looking confusedly at her, she decided to clarify "Erm. After that stunt I pulled- I've decided! You're gonna be our leader, Lawrence! You'll lead the front, I'll protect the rear and follow!"

"B-But I barely know what I'm doing! B-Barely know where I'm going!" he tried to counter.

"Hah. To be fair, I had no clue either! I just followed my guts- You'll be fine! You look much more like the planning type anyway- I believe in you!" she smiled once more, standing her ground, he blushed and huffed.

"F-Fine. If only because we're almost out of this nightmare forever anyway." The petit fairy kept going, not seeing the dragon looking down, deep in thought.

" _Will he… accept?"_

* * *

**-Little Sandrop Cave-**

**Floor: 5 (!)**

**.**

They were crossing an entirely narrow and singular path, the gemstones here entirely red, creating what seemed like big, fragmented mirrors of rubies.

As they reached the only other room that wasn't the one they arrived at, they suddenly jumped as a crackling, sinister voice began speaking from nowhere, the lights of the gems suddenly no longer glowing, leaving them in darkness, almost on cue.

" **So you were the ones who have awakened me!?"**

"W-What the-" Was all the togepi could mutter.

"Where is this coming from? Erm, Sir sorry for disturbi-" The jangmo-o tried, only to be interrupted.

" **Shut up! Thieves! You came to steal my treasure! Just like all the rest!"**

"Erm. Treasure…?" Mirari honestly asked.

" **Don't play dumb! You must be more adventurers that came to collect the world-renowned 'haunted treasure of crystal cave', eh? EH!?"**

The two looked at themselves, completely confused with what they were hearing, whispering among themselves "Treasure? H-Haunted? C-Crystal cave?"

"I don't know! Literally nothing makes sense-" she whispered back.

" **Dastardly Thieves! You whisper and conspire amongst yourselves!"**

"S-Sir, you currently find yourself at Little Sandrop Cave, known for being a very… Uninteresting dungeon!" Mirari yet again tried to reason with the voice.

" **Wha- Preposterous! When I got lost- I mean, When I moved here, this was the name of the dungeon! And it's very interesting- Look around!"**

The two sweatdropped, really unsure if this was some sort of strange gag, or a real, honest situation.

"U-Um… Mister voice in t-the dark… We just want t-to leave, t-there was a sandstorm and-"

" **ENOUGH LIES!"**

Suddenly, two shiny, blue sapphire like eyes could be seen glowing creepily in the dark, then all lights turned back on, and the big, bad and scary voice belonged to… A small, purple and imp-like pokémon with gems for eyes- much like some gems of the later floors of the dungeon.

"Liars! Trespassers! You are here to mock me just like the rest of 'em! Here to steal my treasure and make fun of me!" the male ghost spoke, much less intimidating here in person. Despite sounding like an adult, he was smaller than Mirari, but bigger than Lawrence (like most things). He seemed to have some sort of weird… dark glow around his body, not the pure evil of the Shaytan, but not too far either, acting erratically.

"Urk! W-What's with this guy!?" Lawrence gulped, scared, but getting ready.

"Don't know! But he seems like he can't be reasoned with! Something with his energy is strange! Let's try and calm him down!" She growled, ready to defend herself.

**"I'll show you! I'll show all of you punks!"** he screeched, ready to take them on.

The duo was about to face the Ghost/Dark type in his arena: The maze of red mirrors!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a decent reception, I felt motivated to rush down and make this one! It's mostly a settup chapter, ment to plant seeds for further storytelling in the future- but it was a very fun to do notheless! Even if it was a literal 'tutorial' for our pint-sized hero.
> 
> Next time: The first boss appears! Can the duo defeat the crazed ghost in his own 'home'? Plus, there's a family reunion just waiting to be had.


	3. Through the Dark Crystal

**Chapter III: Through the Dark Crystal**

**Little Sandrop Cave**

**Floor: 5(!)**

**Boss battle: Sableye, the lonely**

The room they currently were one was stranger than the rest of the dungeon- The very walls were mostly red, like an enormous, continuous ruby- that was shattered into small 'pieces', little gems that almost completely covered the purple walls. There were three corridors total, to the left and to the right, and one behind the duo. The Sableye stood in the middle, in between the two corridors, while the duo stood in front of the ghost type, prepared for battle.

"You'll pay! All of you! You'll all pay!" the small dark/ghost uttered, angrily swiping the air threateningly.

"Just listen! We don't wanna-" before Mirari could continue, the mad sableye jumped in between them, trying to scratch them with his claws, both nearing dodging, splitting up, with the sableye in the middle of them.

" **LIARS! LIARS"** he growled, turning around to swing at the dragon female more times, her skills showing as she managed to keep avoiding those furious swipes, most either missing, or hitting her tough scales, only one truly making any significant damage, scrapping her chest.

"S-Stay away from her!" a meek, scared, yet angry voice declared, slashing the ghost from behind with a well placed aerial ace, making him hiss angrily.

"Why you! Despicable rogue!" he turned around, one of his claws becoming surrounded by dark sparks, before slapping the togepi right in the cheek, tossing him to the side.

The sableye prepared to follow up, but was interrupted by a shower of hot, intense gust of draconic flames, scorching him from behind. Forcing him to retreat, falling back and hissing from the pain some more.

"You ok?" she ran to regroup with Lawrence, he got up and stood at her side, both looking at the Ghost in front of them once more.

"Y-Yeah. Didn't hurt nearly as I t-thought it would!" he wiped his mouth, catching his breath.

"Fairy types are resistant to dark type moves! That was knock off- By Lugia, I'll have to teach you a lotta stuff!" Mirari charged another dragon breath, opening her mouth and shooting another royal blue stream of draconic energy, much to hear dismay, the sableye easily dodged the blast, even as she moved her head to try and match his speed, it just wasn't enough, eventually he blinked in front of her, kicking the top of her head, and thus making her shut her mouth. Literally.

And sensing the togepi yet again going for an easy aerial ace, the sableye turned around just in time, though he had no intention in moving, instead his shadow appeared behind Lawrence, slashing his back viciously, breaking his concentration, and pushing him towards the ghost, who followed up with another knock off to the face, tossing him to the ground "Too slow, punk! Now-"

"-You **perish**!" he jumped high in the air with a flip, preparing his claws for an onslaught on the fallen fairy type, suddenly being interrupted by an iron head to the side, courtesy of another fast pokémon that had jumped, managing to push him far enough to lose his momentum, and be forced to retreat again.

"T-Thanks!" she helped him up, once again they were side by side.

"He's far too fast, somehow! We can't get the first strike!" Mirari growled, looking as the sableye twitched creepily, looking for another opening to charge at them once more.

"W-We gotta work together! We just c-can't compete with him by ourselves!" Lawrence tried to strategize.

"You're right… But we have been working together, haven't we?" She confusedly asked.

"Not r-really! You ju-just kinda attacked him with what you had, and t-then I did the same!" he took a step back as the Sableye threatened to take a step forward.

"So? Isn't that teamwork?" she asked further, seeing the sableye blink again, and as a reaction, she was able to use a well placed protect, a blue shield enveloping her, and completely negating his endless flurry of fury swipes.

Seeing the sableye distracted, and Mirari successfully blocking him, the togepi put his two hands on his forehead, creating a rainbow-white ball in between them, which soon exploded into a blast of lights, some being faintly reflected by the red gems. The enemy could only look towards it, being unable to react as the light burned his ghostly body, Mirari being safe inside the protective shield, as he was tossed him to the wall, falling on his knees.

"Nope! T-That's teamwork!" Lawrence smiled, proud of their feat. His smile was infectious, the dragon soon joining him.

"That was awesome! We're like one of those cool teams of the stories!" she jumped of joy, clearly excited, despite the perilous battle ahead (or perhaps because of it) "C'mon! Let's try to mix it up!" she smirked, getting on her battle pose once more.

"You little **PUNKS**!" the sableye recovered, getting back on his feet and dashing towards the togepi, reading to unleash another vicious fury swipes, not predicting a bold dragon throwing herself in front of the attack, her iron head slamming against him.

Seeing his cue, Lawrence charged an aerial ace, running and slashing the ghost's side, opening him for another vicious headbutt by Mirari, throwing him back.

"Nice one!" she looked back at him, smiling and nodding.

"I-It was all thanks to you!" he smiled back.

"Damn children! **This is no game!** " he growled, hissing and getting back up, claws on his wounds, while the strange energy around him was getting stronger and stronger, almost covering his entire body.

" **You took him away from me! You took everything I had- and now you want to take more!?** " he keeps growling creepily, one claw on his forehead, the other swiping randomly at the air.

"We don't know what you're talking about, sir! We've stumbled here by accident- We just want to leave!" Mirari tries reaching out for him.

" **You just want me to lower my guard again! You just want to betray and hurt me again!** " Despite his threatening, borderline insane words, the dark aura of hatred begins lowering, and he clutches his head with his two claws.

"S-She's right! We don't know you, mister! Um- S-Someone clearly hurt you-" he gulped, trying to take a step towards him "D-Do you wanna talk about it…?"

" **I… I…** I…" the sableye's voice mellowed, before the aura came back at full strength, his head lowered with his claws pressing against the sides of his head "I… I… **I'll never be hurt again!** "

He suddenly jumped to retreat, sending two shadows towards the duo, one kicking Lawrence, and the other punching Mirari, stunning both for a second.

When they recovered, the Sableye was nowhere to be found.

"W-Where did he go!?"

"I'm not sure- Stay close to me!" he quickly ran towards her, both desperately looking around to find the little imp.

" **The treasure is mine! You shall never have it!** " Suddenly, the two were surprised to see him appearing out of nowhere, seemingly out of the wall, hitting Mirari on her side, making her be thrown, and stumble to the ground.

"M-Mirari!" Lawrence could only scream, when he tried to turn and attack the ghost- he was gone once more.

"W-What the- W-Where-" he scaredly looked around, seeing only the glistering of the gems, and his fallen partner. He ran towards her.

" **I guard this dungeon! I am the keeper of crystal cave- And for as long as I'm here, you shall never, never, NEVER leave!"**

Lawrence gasped, stopping to look around, hearing that booming, creepy voice coming from everywhere, gulping, simply not being able to find the enemy, though he felt- no, he knew he was watching from somewhere. He decided to keep running towards Mirari anyway, thankfully arriving there without a surprise strike from the mad pokémon.

"A-Are you ok?" he hurried and tried to help her up.

She was bruised, dazed and beaten- but thankfully, still not out of the battle.

"I'm ok. Thank you…" she panted, showing exhaustion "...Damn, we really do need to beat this guy to get out of here… Aw, Curses! He even ruined my scarf!" she sighed, tossing that battered, simple red scarf to the side, clearly it was more of a beauty thing than a practical thing.

"Y-Yeah… I don't get what's going on at all- B-But we gotta do something…" he gulped, really unsure of what to do exactly, feeling overwhelmed and underpowered.

"Urk- I'm really sorry to ask- but could you please heal me? I'm feeling a bit faint…" she meekly asked, trying to hold back her pain, perhaps to not show weakness, perhaps not to worry him.

He was about to ask what she meant, remembering in desert and how he boosted her energy on their dash for safety, using what she referred to as 'water dew'.

"I-I don't know how-" Maybe if he used his memories too? Or his emotions? It was worth a shot "Um- Gimme a sec!" Lawrence closed his eyes, trying to focus and call upon his strange, fairy powers.

"No rush… I'll protect yo-" she stopped when she saw a shade coming from underneath them, headbutting the togepi to the side, and taking the full brunt of the shadow sneak by herself, being punched, slammed and bruised by its attacks, making her cough some blood and once more, fall prone.

"N-No!" Lawrence touched his bruised forehead, running to try and help her, only to see a shape appearing right on top of him, claws spread wide, ready to fall on his prey.

" **I'll take everything from you! I'll make you cry the thousands of tears I cried!"** He fell on top of the togepi, madly swiping his fallen frame, head, body, arm- it made no difference, he only wanted to hurt.

He could feel some wounds begin to bleed as well, from the seemingly scratches he was receiving, the pain and speed of the attacks making him unable to use his strongest move, thus making him completely at the mercy of the mad assailant.

" **Yes! Yes! This pain you feel is but a fraction of mine! You wil-** " he suddenly was interrupted by a very fast, very powerful and very angry dragon tail to the back, the user promptly yelling "SHUT UP ALREADY!" He then flew to the wall, crashing his back against the various red gems.

"And… Stay away from him!" She proceeded to breathe in, charging a huge, powerful gust of royal blue dragon breath, hitting and further hurting the ghost, his body twitching as he tried to get up, blue sparks greatly limiting his movements.

"Lawrence!" The jangmo-o ran towards the fallen fairy, nudging him with her snout "Wake up! Please!"

He managed to resist falling asleep, coughing and taking a deep breath, bruises all over him "I'm… Ok…"

"Heh. Sure you are. C'mon!" she smiled reassuringly, helping him up, the bruised duo looking at the struggling sableye.

" **No...No...No… I must…** Protect… You…" he grunted, voice cracking creepily, slowly he struggled his way up, touching the wall, and somehow entering one of the various gems, like it was a portal or something.

"What the- H-How-" the togepi exclaimed, the dragon seeming just as stunned as him.

"Look! Over there! He's getting away!" she pointed a claw, and sure enough, they could see his reflection on the little red gems, though he was not on their 'reality'- thus, creating a very bizarre dissonance.

"He's going to the right corridor! Let's go!" she helped Lawrence, both limping their way towards the right hallway, seeing what seemed like at least 400 very small gems plastered around it, leading to what looked like a gigantic, dark crystal on the wall of another room, with a box in front of it.

"I can't see where he went! There are so many here!" she cursed "He's gonna try something! We gotta stop him somehow! But he's not even in our reality!"

Suddenly, Lawrence got a fit of inspiration "I have an idea…" he was really unsure if it was gonna work, but it was better than being even more useless "... You might hate it."

She tilted her head, but was silenced as he exclaimed "Stay b-behind me!"

Unsure what he was gonna do, she nodded, and he took a step forward, stepping on the corridor, making his all too familiar pose, two hands on his forehead, eyes closed.

He yet again remembered that hug- and soon enough, the positive energy stored in him formed a ball of light, which he promptly exploded, the rainbow flash illuminating the entire corridor, reflecting through each and every little gem- and eventually, that intense flash hit its mark.

"Arrrgh-" they heard, followed by the sound of someone falling, when the blinding light went out, they could see a downed, bruised sableye, with some strange smoke leaving his body.

"Wow! Nice thinking, Lawrence!" she ran towards him, petting the togepi's back with her claw "How did you-" Mirari then stopped speaking when she noticed the Sableye getting up, still with his back turned.

"R-Really? How persistent are you- Hey! Stop!" she ran towards him "Please! We just wanna tal-" suddenly, she received another knock off to the face, tossing her to the side, as the little ghost kept slowly liming towards the cave with the big crystal.

"M-Mirari" Lawrence finally caught up, touching her back "Oh no! A-Are you ok?"

"Yeah… Damn… Why is he so mad…?" Mirari spat some blood on the ground at their side, clearly being at the edge of fainting too, barely conscious, and utterly bruised.

"Don't go off running like that! S-Something worse could have happened!"

She nodded solemnly, giggling meekly "Heh. You really sound like my mom."

He was a bit taken back at how cheerful and casual she could be, even though they were in a death match against a psychotic sableye.

They could see he was kneeling in front of the box, doing something with it.

"O-Oh crap! He's doing something!"

"Yeah! Let's go!" she fiercely declared, yet again dashing fearlessly to battle, while the togepi pitifully tried to follow, both limping as fast as they could.

When they arrived in the room, they could see the walls were pure white, with little to no small gems around them, only one big, mirror-like crystal on the roof, and on the wall right in front of the sableye and the box.

"They won't take you from me again **… Never again…** " he creepily kept saying, seemingly ignoring the duo behind him for now.

"Lawrence! If we get a good hit, we might be able to finally calm him down!" she whimpered a bit, feeling her wounds and bruises making themselves known "Urk. But if he lands it on us, we're done for!"

"Y-Yeah… I can barely stay on my feet as it is… Oh, how I wished for an Oren Berry…" he groaned, remembering that strange, yet very refreshing juice.

"Oh, you really don't want an 'Oren', trust me!" he turned around to ask what she meant, when they were both interrupted.

" **SILENCE!** " both pokémon quickly looked at him, bracing themselves **"** All I ever wanted was to be noticed! And when I was noticed, by the one pokémon I loved- you took him away! **And now you want to take my only memory of him too!"** he clutched his forehead, as if he was fighting inside his own mind.

"Sir, please! We can help you- We don't wanna hurt you! Just talk to us, please! Explain what happened! We promise to help!" Mirari begged. And for one second, the bruised, beaten and crazy sableye's aura completely went away, he lifted one claw, as if trying to reach her.

For one second, they both had hope. They both believed, they both reached out for him, but the pressure seemed too strong, soon, with a loud groan of pain, the black aura once more took over, though it was wavering " **Defend… Treasure… I must defend… This is mine… Everything here is mine!"**

He then hissed in pain, yet again dashing towards them, though it was a feint, instead he jumped to the wall, then jump kicked the jangmo-o in the back, then jumped back up, and did the same to the togepi.

The three were so tired, that they barely had energy to use moves, and the sableye was using this to his advantage. Staying on the walls, and getting down to quickly hurt them, then going back up before they could do anything about it.

"How is he so fast!? I thought he was paralysed! That dark power must've done something!" she winced, feeling her muscles scream more and more with each attack.

"W-We need to find a way… to stop him from moving a-around so much!" Lawrence screamed at Mirari, blood leaking from his mouth.

"He doesn't seem to be able to enter those two big crystals for some reason…It's why he's using the walls..." She muttered, analysing the battlefield, suddenly she widened her eyes, inspirated.

"I have an idea!" she uttered, biting her lower lip and trying to focus her red eyes on the ghost.

"...Am I going t-to hate it?"

"Not really. I think I'll hate it more than you…" Lawrence was about to question her, but was interrupted before he could "Use dazzling gleam on my mark, ok? I only have enough energy for one move left- and I'll try to make it count!"

He gulped "I-I don't know if I can! I'm fa-far too weak!" he looked at his tiny, bruised and somewhat bloody hands, before looking back at her.

Mirari turned to him, the light of the crystal above illuminating her scaly body, showing the severity of her cuts, bruises- she even had missing scales on her sides! And even with blood leaking from her nose and mouth, and one of her eyes semi closed due to injure, she still managed to send him a sincere, encouraging smile "You can." Was all that the usual talkative dragon said, and it was more than enough.

His heart skipped a beat, and suddenly, he felt energized once more- certainly not enough to fight as much as he had before, but more than enough to make her faith not be misplaced "O-Ok! L-L-Let's do this!" Lawrence braced himself.

" **BEGONE!** " the berserk sableye jumped from the ceiling, having taken the time to charge a final move, his right claw getting bigger, more wicked, and completely enveloped in darkness, his black, evil aura now burning around him like hellfire, as he jumped from above, leaving his guard open while going for a lethal move, ready to decapitate the dragon type.

Putting all at risk, she allowed the ghost to close in on her, timing her jump just right to slam her tough head on him, her head scale glowing, launching both of them to the big crystal in front,his claw scraping her back, but her resolve not wavering, pinning the sableye against the crystal, the banging of his back against the wall making three large cracks on the flawless black gem.

While Mirari held the enemy there, her heart-shaped head scale barely holding him in place, while he tried to wiggle free, and claw her some more. With her own claws firmly planted on the ground, pure willpower keeping her awake and resiliently holding the foe there.

"LAWRENCE, DO IT NOW!" she roared, bracing herself for what was to come. The sableye desperately begun swiping her more and more, in a absolute frenzy, to make her let go, also knowing what was about to come next.

He wavered for a moment, knowing it would hit her, but felt compelled to do it anyway- for her sake. Besides, she is dragon type. She should be resistant to a fairy/light type or whatever move, he concluded in a split second.

He put all his effort on it- If he had one more attack, he also had to make it count! Mirari was believing in him! Even if it killed him he had to do it. For this single second, he was no longer afraid.

And so, he began preparing his power, though this time, to gather energy, he chose to focus not on the memory of their hug in the crater- but on how she worried about him multiple times, saved him with a magic healing fruit, their hug on the cave, and finally, their entire team-struggle against the mad dark ghost- and of course, that smile that somehow made him feel like he could do anything, and that there was light even as all was lost.

In other words, remembering this crazy, short adventure, and their little moments- It was enough to completely charge a ball of light almost twice the size of the ones he did before.

"Take… THIS!" he screamed, surprising himself with his confidence, the burst of colors traveling like a wave of ruinous light, completely enveloping the two pokémon, the cracked crystal reflecting the flash, not boosting its power, but certainly boosting its intensity, further damaging the two that were caught inside it. Strangely enough, the three cracks multiplied just as it reflected the light and in the same split second as the dazzling gleam stopped its shine, the dark crystal completely shattered, breaking into various pieces… and then turning into dark ash before even reaching the ground.

When the dust and the light subsided, he could see two very wounded pokémon, both completely burned by the attack- though what made his heart skip a beat was the little dragon, laying on the ground, not a single movement. Smoke leaving her body. Showing just how much she was affected by the blast. Almost as much, if not more, than the sableye.

"N-NOO!" he screamed, barely being able to stumble his way to the fallen dragon, also falling before reaching her.

He slowly crawled towards Mirari, seeing only her wounded back, gulping, his heart beating like a drum, so much it actually hurt him "M-Mirari…?"

He touched her. No response.

"M-Mirari! Wake up! T-This isn't funny!" he nudged her once more. No response.

"P-Please, p-p-please be ok!" he grunted, grabbing her by the back, and trying to turn her to face him, her weight and his injured muscles not helping.

After a brief struggle, he finally was able to do it. And when she saw her face, he could only scream in fear, agony and sadness.

Her innocent eyes were closed, her heart shaped scale was shattered in half, her grey scales were charred- burned and most important of all…

… She wasn't breathing.

' _No… Not like this! Please no! Please no no no!'_ he begged, vision already blurry, water leaking from his eyes, his heart breaking in one thousand or more pieces. Weeping in grief, sadness overtaking him.

Before he knew it, he pressed his bloody, beaten and crying face on her neck, still screaming as much as his vocal cords would allow, with such intensity that it hurt more than his wounds.

' _Don't go! Please don't go!'_ he begged more, hugging her draconic, motionless frame, face still buried on her neck, his little arms clutching around her burn scales.

' _Wait… Life Dew! I still know Life Dew!'_ he let go, immediately getting up, wiping his tears and pressing his hands on her head, closing his eyes.

' _C'mon… Work… Work!'_ he waited. Nothing. She was still…

' _NO! She's NOT DEAD! She's… She's asleep!'_ He clutched his eyes tighter, focusing more and more "Wake up! W-Wake u-up! C'mon! WAKE UP!"

He kneeled on the ground, his forehead touching hers "Please… Please wake up! I-I'm s-so sorry! It's a-all m-my fault! M-Mirari!"

"P-Please d-don't die… P-Please…" he teared up, whispering to her seemingly lifeless body, his tears hitting her scales.

And as more tears left his eyes, he couldn't see, but a powerful, white aura was burning around his body, transferring to the little dragon, her scales gaining their color back.

"...I-I… don't know what I'll… d-do without you…Y-You're the only...m-my only..." he calmly said, the melancholy on his voice was unmatched. His childish sobbing uncontrollable.

Suddenly, he could hear weak, tired coughing. He felt movement around his arms. And as he opened his eyes, he saw an exhausted, meek, but very alive red eye staring at him.

"I'm… That… Important…?" she murmured, in a hoarse voice.

"M-MIRARI" he quickly hugged her neck, even tighter than before, his little crown touching her chin, as he wailed even more.

Lawrence felt a single claw slowly press against his back, patting him reassuringly.

"W-Why d-didn't you t-tell me my a-attack would hurt you that much?" he said, still sobbing on her neck "W-Why d-didn't you tell me i-it was super effective!?"

"You… would have… held back." she smiles weakly.

"Y-You idiot! You s-stupid, reckless i-idiot!" he chastised, in tears.

She only chuckled weakly, still hugging to comfort him.

They both heard movement, the angry, crying togepi promptly got up, his arm shining, ready to strike, standing in front of his wounded companion.

Though the only thing he saw was a sitting sableye, calm and non threatening, with a tear falling from his eye.

"S-Stay there, n-nutcase! D-Don't you dare move!" the small, bruised togepi angrily threatened him.

The sableye didn't seem to care, still staring blankly at the two of them.

"If you t-try anything funny, I'll split y-you in two!" he threatened once more, before kneeling back to look at Mirari.

"When I was younger, not much older than the two of you-" Lawrence almost jumped when he heard, for the first time, a eerily calm voice coming from the sableye, with a clear hint of nostalgia and... melancholy? "-I had a strong bond with my partner. He was a Mawile, my dearest and only friend…"

The togepi was about to say something, but was stopped by the wounded jangmo-o, who beckoned him to listen "...We used to do everything together. He was the only family I had- They called us many things, _hurtful_ things. And eventually, it proved too much for him to bear…"

The single tear on his on his eye turned into another, then another, and just like that, he was sobbing, but not uncontrollably so (like Lawrence) "...You, Togepi… Remind me of him. I'm sorry for attacking you- And for almost costing you a… friend." he used one of his claws to grab something, a strange, shiny and ornamented oval pendant, staring deeply at it.

The former foe then wiped some of the tears from his crystal-like eyes "I isolated myself here, afraid and spiteful of the world… That's when the dungeon… Whispered to me. Warped me. Promised me power… I turned into a monster, a slave of that… energy. I only wanted to hurt and… Protect my one memory of him… Thinking that it would somehow bring him back..." he clutched the pendant.

"S-So you were… forced to protect and guard this place… b-by the dungeon itself?" he questioned.

"Precisely, child. When your dazzling gleam seared my body, and your partner crushed my back against the crystal… When that cursed mirror shattered, my mind was finally… Clear again…" he said, between coughs.

"I… Have never seen anything like that…" Mirari admitted, just as baffled "Dungeon Sickness is a thing but… A crystal that corrupts pokémon? And gives them a dark aura too…?" she breathed a bit "That's really tough to swallow!"

"I don't… expect you to believe me but… I had to try and explain my actions…" he stopped talking for a second "Oh no… Children, can you move!?"

"B-Barely." Lawrence admitted.

"Uf. Not at all. Why do you-" Mirari sheepishly answered, being interrupted by a sudden tremor, like one devastating earthquake- Everywhere shaking sharply, knocking all three to the ground.

"W-What's g-going on!?" The togepi screamed, the sounds of earth moving, rocks falling and things breaking almost deafening him.

"The dungeon is falling apart! Without the crystal, nothing is holding it together!" he hissed, trying and failing miserably to get up "Damn it all! My body is completely spent!"

"Mister, what do we do!?" Mirari pleaded, seeing the gems on the corridor all being crushed, the walls cracking, while the ground was shaken.

"You two must run to the other corridor! There are stairs there- they were blocked by a barrier, but neither me nor the crystal are keeping it up!" he screamed, not trying to move.

"W-What a-about you?" Lawrence got up, trying to help the heavy dragon, while looking at the ghost.

"There's no hope for me. I'm paralysed and hurt. Just leave me! Save yourselves!" he commanded "I created this mess, It's only fair I pay for it."

"We can't leave him, Lawrence!" she winced, trying to stand up, but falling on her sides once more "Oh no! I-I'm too exhausted! I can't… move!"

"I'm n-not leaving you behind! N-Not after I almost lost you!" He pitifully tried to help her again, his little, sore muscles making it an impossible task.

The walls around them started to crack, little pebbles falling from the floor, fissures forming on the rocky floor they stood on, one quickly swallowing the sableye's precious box in the room. It was then they noticed the giant crystal on the ceiling was starting to fall- Ready to crush all of them!

"Lawrence, run! I can't move, you gotta go!" The jangmo-o pleaded with the fairy.

"I told you, I'm not leaving you like this! C'mon!" He pleaded back, trying to push her up, only for her to fall halfway, thanks to the tremors and the injuries.

Then they all could hear the sound of their collective demise coming from above.

The sableye only lowered his head, accepting his fate.

The jangmo-o tried to headbutt and push her friend away so he would save himself, he refused to leave.

The togepi tried to help his friend back up so they would survive, she couldn't stand.

Then with another loud noise, the gigantic crystal started to fall- in a position to easily squash the three of them.

The Jangmo-o closed her eyes, the togepi hugged her, and the sableye apologized one last time under his breath, ready to see his friend once more…

And as if time itself had slowed down, they could hear loud, fast footsteps in the distance together with… clanging?

Before the deadly crystal could come in any closer, it was shattered in what seemed like one million pieces, scattering around the room harmlessly.

The three were stunned, gazing upon a big, dragon pokémon, who seemed to be wearing grey, golden and red armor- Using one clawed hand to punch the glistering boulder that would surely kill the three of them.

The only one who found the words to say anything was Mirari "M-Mom!?" the little dragon exclaimed.

"I'm sorry for taking so long, little ones. But we have no time." She walked, wincing a bit, her left arm looking bruised, with many other smaller injuries on her armored body "No need to explain. I saw enough of what happened with you three. I'll explain myself later." the imposing female declared, shutting up her daughter.

The kommo-o approached her first, using her right claws to gently take her off the ground, minding her daughter's wounds, dashing to grab the togepi from under his little body, tossing him to her shoulder and swiftly using her tail to lift the sableye, who wrapped his legs and arms around it.

"Human, Sableye, hang on tight. We are on borrowed time. The stairs, where?" She declared and asked, commandingly.

"The corridor up ahead… Just go straight…" he answered, clearly on the verge of collapsing.

She nodded, before fiercely running. Easily kicking or dodging any debris that fell on her path.

The togepi was holding tight on her shoulder, feeling deja vu from earlier with Mirari, though now her mother was going much faster, and they are in a even more dangerous situation.

The blistering older female easily ran past the room in which they first fought, jumping over a bunch of boulders that were blocking the path, her kicks so strong that it tore through more gigantic rocks, making the togepi wiggle and shake wildly- And the sableye barely hold on her tail.

After what felt like hours, but in actuality were mere seconds, they arrived at a ruined corridor, seeing the fabled stair in the end of it, many broken sharks of a purple crystal around it- perhaps that was the so called barrier, that indeed no longer stood.

"We're almost there!" the stronger of the four declared, charging once more, as more and more rocks fell upon them, the tremors getting more and more intense.

Suddenly, they are inches from the stairs, feeling his weak little arms fail him, Lawrence lets go, falling behind.

Yet again time slows down, the dragon can not stop in time to save him from the fall and Mirari being completely incapable of helping in any way "LAWRENCE!"

His heart beats faster, he could slowly see them going up the stairs, while he went down, surely to his demise. The two dragon types had horrified looks on their faces, the bigger female trying to turn around on the very last step, her unusable arm making it impossible for her to grab him without risking their lives.

But suddenly, he felt something kick him, seeing a wounded, almost fainted and paralysed sableye following him in the air, seemingly jumping (maybe with help) from the Kommo-o's tail, throwing the fairy type back up, using his agile claws to put something in his little hand before he went too far. Lawrence stared at the sableye's face, and for the first time, he saw a serene, genuine smile, before being hurled by the force of the kick, falling on the Kommo-o's lap, close to Mirari. Seeing the ghost type fall on the rocky floor instead of him, rolling there, and quickly being buried by the falling rocks, his last bit of energy being wasted saving Lawrence.

Just like in a nightmare, before he could even acknowledge what happened, he blinked, and they were in another place. A small cave, no gems, nothing too unique… What really did catch his eye was the outside world that could be seen- They were in the entrance! Behind them, fallen rocks blocked the path to the dungeon.

He clutched the thing in his hands, looking to see the oval pendant that seemed to important to Sableye. Lawrence felt a rush of sadness, the pokémon they tried so hard to save had perished saving him.

He had no time to mourn, suddenly feeling an insane rush of sleepiness, weariness, pain, hunger and sheer fatigue. He closed his eyes, immediately falling asleep, together with Mirari, both under her mother's hold.

The Kommo-o stared at the duo, holding them gently, cradling them in a comfortable sleeping position, forcing her broken arm to help a little bit, growling a bit, and taking the pain.

She limped a bit, feeling the dungeon's recoil hit her body, though she was much more used to it than the two sleeping children on her arms.

' _Human, I still can't say I trust you completely. But your tears for my hatchling were genuine- And without you, she'd be gone. I suppose you are not the threat… For now. Allow me to thank you properly when we get home…'_ She then looked to the little snoring dragon also on her arm _'Mirari, you have wrapped us both in something far beyond your comprehension… Had I not tried to protect you so much, maybe things would be different. Maybe you wouldn't have run, and not found the human… And_ _ **he**_ _wouldn't be on our tails… So perhaps I am to blame as well.'_

She sighed, slowly walking towards the exit, seeing the red skies, the sun setting on the horizon, the sands of the desert calm, the temperature quickly getting colder, the winds licking her wounded scales _'He wouldn't dare attack us on the village. But I can't keep them forever there… Especially the human. Perhaps it is time to finally send you to the guild, Mirari. Especially since you have found this very… Unique and problematic partner. Guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree…'_ She couldn't help but smile. Remembering her own youth, and how she met the male that changed her fate.

She confidently began the walk back to the village, still carrying them both _'I must inform the Odyssey Guild of what I saw. If the dungeon waves are getting strong enough to corrupt pokémon, something must be done. And if that cursed organization is bold enough to send_ _ **him**_ _after us, then they truly are making a move as well. Perhaps both events are linked?'_

The togepi shifted on her arms, pushing the snoring jangmo-o, annoyed with the sounds, but being too tired to actually wake up from it _'I assume he had no idea the human is with her. Else they wouldn't have sent him alone… would they?'_ She stared at the togepi _'So fragile… So weak… Had I not seen he using the D-waves, I wouldn't have believed it was him. He is like a walking Power Spot, and he has no idea. Could this innocent togepi really be the weapon they are after…?'_

She groaned slightly, feeling the pain in her body returning _'Damn. It took everything I had just to push him back. The dungeon's collapse might give us some more time to breathe- but I fear he will return soon. I have to plan something…'_

Camly walking, the kommo-o looked into the serene and beautiful heavens above, seeing the stars already shining in the blackening skies _'I suppose it was foolish of me, to believe it would be possible to hide you away from all of this, sweetie. You simply were not meant to have a normal and peaceful life, I suppose… And frankly, you never wanted to…'_ she closed her eyes, feeling her heart ache, remembering when she felt her own daughter almost perish in that cursed dungeon _'You are destined to something great. You and this human. I'll… Accept my fate,_ _like that Sableye._ _When the time comes... I'll have to say goodbye to you, sweetie.'_

She sighs, staring at the horizon, seeing as the brightness of the moon finally takes over, the village finally nearby "Until then, I vow to protect you two."

She couldn't see, but far away, a mysterious shape stared back at her, wounded and bruised. Stalking and analysing her, before turning around and floating away, back to the shadows.

"From whatever they throw at us…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, this chapter was supposed to have the scenes with mother Kommo-o on the dungeon, especially vs The Shape, but I thought it just broke from the focus, and made everything more confusing! I'm sure I could include them (or at least the fight) later in a flashback, or make a special chapter incluiding it, if anyone's interested!
> 
> Next time: The duo finally gets a chance to rest, and get to know the world a bit. But is it meant to last?


	4. Ordinary World I

" _Burn olierbos in the day_

_And you'll keep evil at bay."_

_-Old saying of the Sand Continent_

* * *

He could feel a strange, powerful breeze pushing him, the world around him was grey. He saw a big flash of light coming from the distance, then a tremor. Everything was blurry. Incomplete. Like a hard to find memory.

**Remember who you are. Remember your mission. Remember them. Remember me.**

…

* * *

**Chapter IV: Ordinary World I**

**-?-**

After what seemed like an eternity of deep, semi willing sleep, he finally felt as if his weary body was prepared to awaken. He didn't remember his bed to be so… strangely comfortable. And… circular?

And why he felt like there was someone really big staring down at him?

When he opened his small, tired eyes, and tried to go to a sitting position, the first thing he saw was a scene from a horror movie. A grey scaled, one eyed… Cyclops, dragon mummy thing! It had wraps all over its quadruped body, only parts that were showing being its snout, one of its eyes and some of its chest and back. And it was inches from his face too!

"Mooooom! He's up!" She screamed, in such a loud voice that it almost made him get dizzy and fall back on the…

Nest? Bed? What even was he laying on? It was completely made of straws, in a circular pattern. Seeming almost enormous from his perspective. And so very comfy too…

"Wakey-Wakey, sleepy! Mama said you can't sleep past breakfast in your condition!" the unholy monster said, sitting right in front of his little straw bed.

"Five more minutes…" he muttered, in an almost hoarse voice.

"C'mon! That's like, the oldest trick in the book! We both know you want five more hours, lazy head!" she said, nudging him with her snout.

"Where even are we… Last thing I remember was a really scaly hug, and a horrible sound of death and despair." he mumbled, eyes closed.

"Hey! My snores aren't that bad!" She nudged him a bit harder "And we're at my home! More specifically, my room!"

Mirari then nudged him even harder with her snout, making the small fairy type turn over, a grumpy expression on his face "...You won't leave me alone, will you?"

She just sat there, with her playful and deceitfully innocent smile "Nope!"

Lawrence groaned and got up, stretching his little members a bit and noticing the various wraps around him and the dragon in front of him.

Now that he could see her more closely, he could truly see just how many injuries the dragon had apparently sustained- he could barely see her grey and black scales, the heart scale on her head was also shattered in half, covered in bandages too, and of course, she had only one eye non bandaged.

He felt his heart stop if only for a moment, feeling extreme guilt as he remembered the events from the cave "A-Are you ok?" he gulped, frowning at her.

She tilted her head in sincere confusion, before suddenly realising what he meant "Ah! Hah, Of course! That was nothing! I can take a lot more!" she held her head high, smiling.

Mirari then groaned a bit as she tried to move "Owie… Erm… Could ya help me walk a bit? My awesome dragon muscles hurt! Hahaha…"

Lawrence only sweatdropped and stared at the sheepish Jangmo-o.

* * *

**-Oasis Village, Plaza-**

The Kommo-o could see her house in the distance, one of her arms patched up, while she was carrying on her healthy arm what seemed like a bag full of things. She could see very few pokémon out at this time, most at school, working or in their homes. The plaza was simple in nature, using some stone slabs on the ground to help pokémon who couldn't handle the sand of the desert- most houses and shops being made of sturdy rocks to handle the strong winds, and harsh weather. In the middle of it all, there was a large fountain, always filled with pure water.

She winced for a moment, touching her wounded member, taking a moment to catch her breath.

"Mrs. Kommo-o!" she heard a high pitched voice call from behind her.

The large dragon turned around, feeling petit hands touching her, as if helping the much larger pokémon.

The owner of the voice was a small, yellow rodent with pink cheeks and black ears and tail. She had a tuft of fur on her head, and overall looked like a young child.

"Are you okay? I saw you yesterday looking all wounded!" the young female pokémon said, clearly worried.

"Little Pichu? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class?" the older female replied with more questions.

"U-Um… I just wanted to see if you were okay… I saw you and Jangmo-o arriving yesterday, after that huge sandstorm, and did nothing to help…" the little pichu lowered her head, ears falling too, before she suddenly remembered something, soon looking up at Kommo-o once again "And there was someone else, yes? Have you rescued somebody?"

Kommo-o silently looked down at the young pokémon, as if in deep thought, careful on what she was to say next "... Yes. Jangmo-o found them lost in the desert. They entered a dungeon when that big sandstorm came, and I saved them." she answered, not really telling a lie, but not telling everything either.

"Ah, I see! That was very kind of you, -o!" she smiled cutely "Do you need any help? Maybe I could help you carry this to your home! It's the least I could do!"

The older pokémon chuckled a bit, seeing how the bag she carried was almost the size of the little electric type "I appreciate the offer. Here, why don't you carry this apple for me? It would help me very much." She carefully picked one of the many big apples inside, kneeling and offering it to the little one.

"Of course! I'll gladly do it!" the pichu picked the apple with her two little hands, stumbling a bit at first, before regaining her footing.

"Thank you, Pichu. You are far too sweet." she smiled kindly, getting back up and pointing to her modest, spartan house, made of resilient rocks "My house is quite close. If you would kindly follow me there."

The small one nodded, still carrying the (to her at least) huge fruit "Uh-huh! Sure thing." she huffed a bit, following the dragon type, who was sure to walk slow so she would keep up "Um. May I ask what's all that stuff, mrs. Kommo-o?"

She looked down at the yellow rodent as they walked "It's just food. I had to resupply, since we now have a guest at home. You know who."

The pichu opened her mouth wide in understanding, nodding "Aaah, I see! That makes sense! For how long they'll stay?"

Yet again, the dragon was silent, thinking what she was to say next once more, though the little pichu could hardly tell "...Not for long."

Pichu nodded, still stumbling to carry the apple, making the Kommo-o stop to help her regain her footing.

"You haven't answered me yet. Why aren't you in class right now?" Kommo-o suddenly says, almost making Pichu drop the apple.

The child remained silent, and Kommo-o decided to add "I'm sure that elder Crustle would be very sad to hear that you're skipping his lessons."

That made Pichu sigh and look down, a few sparks leaving her cheeks and yellow fur "I know, mrs. Kommo-o…"

"Then why are you here, little one?" she once again asked sternly, but kindly.

"... It's nothing, really. I swear…" Kommo-o could hear a hint of melancholy

The dragon could tell something was wrong, but knowing Pichu, she had no choice but to drop it. It was for the better.

"We're here." the older one broke the silence, Pichu looked at the big house, not noticing time pass on their little walk.

"Thank you for your help, little one. Would you like to come in and stay for dinner? My own little ones would most likely enjoy the company." Kommo-o gently offered, staying in the door.

Pichu pondered a bit, gulping and letting out a few more sparks, shifting nervously under the dragon's gaze "U-Um… I…" she gulped once more, trying to say something "I-I… I… Think it's better if I go now, mrs. Kommo-o… I'm sorry."

Kommo-o seemed a bit disappointed, but still smiled kindly down at the electric rodent, kneeling and rubbing her yellow furred head with her big scaly claws "You're a wonderful kid, Pichu. I want you to know that."

The girl blushes, not expecting this sudden praise from the intimidating and regal dragon, who decided to continue talking "You should go to your house. Else you'll be pestered by more adults. If you insist on skipping class, then read one of those books I gave you. I'm sure you'll love them." Kommo-o smiled sincerely, getting up and winking at the small rodent, then she turned around, starting to enter her home.

Pichu was mute, completely frozen and speechless, until she noticed she was still carrying the big red fruit "Mrs. Kommo-o! Your apple!"

The big female stopped, turning around with her usual serious smile "Ah. Keep it, little one. It's fresh and tasty. Consider it a proper reward for your kindness." Kommo-o nodded, and entered the house at last, leaving the Pichu by herself, staring at the gift with an unreadable expression.

Kommo-o tried to sneakily gaze upon the child, whilst staying hidden inside the house, peeking at Pichu, who remained in front of the door, silently looking at the fruit, and as soon as she was going to make a move, the Pichu turned around and left.

The dragon type frowned, closing her eyes _"Oh, Pichu…"_ the adult bitterly thought, watching the lone pokémon vanish in the sandy village.

* * *

**-Oasis Vilage, Residential Area-**

As the small pokémon made her way back home, she couldn't help but look back, staring at the house of the one pokémon she really cared for in this place. She was either indifferent, or actively disliked all others. And she was sure all of them shared her feelings.

She tried to busy her mind, walking through the sandy ground of the village. The houses around her were made of tough, simple stone- Not very artistic, but very practical in fending off the sand. The village itself was composed of about ten or less houses, all side by side, with stores and merchants in the plaza, all around a small fountain of fresh water, and an artesian well- both which were more than essential for any settlement's survival in the harsh deserts of the sand continent. Thankfully, Oasis village, as the name implied, was located between many of the watery blessings of the deserts.

Though for Pichu, it only meant she was bound to this cursed place if she wanted to survive. It was either living here, or trying her luck in the harsh desert around her. And as any electric type, she hated deserts.

But the thing she hated the most was-

"Hey look! It's our favorite sparky!" a devilishly playful voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. She felt her fur standing up, and her legs freezing, small sparks leaving her cheek.

She was suddenly flanked by a grinning darumaka, a sandshrew with a neutral, stoic expression and a lilipup that didn't seem like he wanted to be there.

"We missed ya in class, y'know! Why haven't you been going?" the fire type said, clearly mockingly, faking kindness.

Pichu let out a few more sparks, but tried controling her emotions and remaining neutral and stone faced "Shouldn't.. you guys be in class too? It's still ongoing…!"

The trio laughed, though the darumaka's laugher was the louder and more sincere one by far "Teach said we should go home early! Just a few moments ago. Apparently there's like, another sandstorm coming!" the lilipup, a female, answered.

"That, and we had to come check up on you of course! Our closest and dearest friend!" Darumaka, yet again, sarcastically said.

"Look… I just wanna go home. Please let me pass…" she pleaded, trying to peacefully pass by the fire monkey, only to have her paw viciously clutched, almost making her drop the big apple she carried.

"Why go so soon? Don't wanna share that big apple with your closest friends? It looks too big for such a small, pathetic little electric type like you!" Darumaka threatengly opened his paw, as if expecting her to hand it over.

"No… This was a gift… I-I won't hand it over like the rest!" she said, trying not to raise her voice, but doing so anyway, her tail and ears up in a pose of anger.

"I get it! You wanna keep it all to yourself!" He laughed, pointing her as if proving her of a grave sin.

"You're just looking to join your scumbag of a father and turn tail. Or maybe you wanna join your mother…?" he taunted, blue sparks quickly left Pichu, much to the darumaka's amusement, since they were easily being absorbed by the sandshrew at his side, showing how futile her eletricity, intentional or not, was before his friend's lighting rod.

Pichu eventually, pulled her paw free, staring at the horizon rather than the other kids "...Just leave me alone. Please…" her voice cracked a bit, and before the trio could react, she went on all fours, carrying the apple on her back, dashing away, leaving small bolts of eletric energy through her path.

* * *

**-Mirari's House-**

The female dragon layed on her more cushioned straw bed, not very far from the fairy type's, letting out a big sigh of relief "Ah~ Just what I needed!"

The room around the seemed to be a strange mix of primitive and civilized- the walls were made of some sort of stone, as if this was some ancient hut, but there were well crafted furniture around them- from a beautiful, fantasy-like chest with various items inside, to a seemingly empty bookshelf, the various scrolls and books splattered around the surprisingly smooth floor. The single window in the wall being more than enough to illuminate the entire room.

The male fairy, contrary to Mirari, was panting heavily, sitting beside her, exhausted "Ugh! Seriously, I'm either far too weak, or you're far too heavy!"

"Or both. Probably both." she dryly concluded.

"Well, at least you admitted you're fat!" he snarked back.

She seemed taken back by that "Wha- No! I'm not a Snorlax, dummy! I'm heavy with muscles! And tough scales!"

He smiled, rolling his eyes "Suuuuure you are. Next you gonna tell me you have big bones."

"Uh-huh! My bones are huuuuuge!" Mirari Innocently agreed.

That made the togepi facepalm "Seriously, you can't take a hint! Having big bones is a lame excuse for being fa-"

Suddenly, the togepi felt a smack on the back of his head, making him fall face first into the straw they were on top of "Stop calling me that! That's mean! And wrong!" Mirari said, after tail slapping him.

Her serious expression soon turned into one of confusion, and then she started laughing, for when Lawrence got back up, he had straw all over his face, some even inside his mouth.

"Hahahahah! Y-You look like one of those electric Golem With that on your face! I'm s-so sorry! It's too good! Hahahahah!" she cackled, eyes closed and pointing at the fairy.

Lawrence coughed some straw, blushing as he tried to wipe off those things from his face, somehow only making it worse, much to the dragon's amusement, who only laughed louder, almost falling backwards.

Her merry laugher was soon interrupted by a ball of straw, that exploded on her face, making her have to cough and recoil a bit, soon he was the one laughing and pointing at her.

"Gahahah! Now that would put an Alakazam to shame!" he chuckled, making Mirari be the one to blush and try to remove the comically placed straw from her face.

And as the togepi kept laughing at the Jangmo-o, he failed to notice when she suddenly pounced on top of him, making them both roll on the ground, crashing through the bed they were laying on "Let's see if you'll laugh after I give you a beauty treatment!" she mischievously says, standing on top of the fairy, picking some straws that were now all over the small room, and pressing against his face.

"S-Stop! You're f-far too big, it's not fair!" he panted, trying to struggle and wiggle away from underneath the dragon, he had an idea that would either work in his favor, or doom him completely "M-Mirari! W-Who's that big and awesome dragon l-looking at you disapprovingly?"

The jangmo-o flinched and quickly began looking around "Mom I swear-" though she was interrupted by a blast of straw on her face once more, followed by a triumphant "Gotcha!"

The duo were so focused on their little squabble, that they didn't notice the sheer amount of straw they were tossing on one another, and throughout the room- nor the loud sound of footsteps approaching them.

"Little ones, why haven't you eaten breakf-" She stopped at the door, carrying two plates filled with colorful berries, watching silently as a small fairy and dragon fiercely threw at each other the smithereens of what once made a bed.

Eventually, Mirari was the first to notice her mother at the door, putting an end to the straw war "M-Mommy!" she gulped, stepping away from the togepi and sitting on the ground, trying to seem composed, with two large, bushy eyebrows made of straw, as well as a huge mustache on her snout.

Lawrence also got up from the floor, staying up, while blushing madly- embarrassed for having to partake in such a childish display, right in front of an adult "U-Um H-Hi, Miss!" he nervously said, not noticing the huge straw afro on his head, nor the surprisingly well done samurott-like beard on his face.

The adult could only suppress her laugher at the scene, being caught completely off guard by the almost too good to be true sight "I'll grab something to help clean the two of you…" she eventually managed to say, calmly to hide her true feelings, turning around and leaving the duo alone.

After she was gone, the two pokémon finally had time to look at one another, and to remember the little scuffle they just had, both snickering, then giggling and eventually merrily laughing it off.

* * *

**-Oasis Village, Pichu's House-**

A loud creaking could be heard as the small yellow rodent pushed the old door open, using the big apple she carried to force it open, resulting in her almost falling on her face as she entered.

" _I really should get this thing checked out…"_ she frowned when she looked back at the aged door, suddenly having dark thoughts invade her mind _"...Yeah, like anyone would help me..."_

After sighing, she dusted off the big apple with her little paws, noting how her reflection could be see on its red surface _"This looks really fresh! And it's so big! Must be a really expensive meal..."_ she innocently thought, before noticing how she was staring at herself, immediately taking her eyes away with another frown, shaking her body to free her from the annoying sand that got stuck on her fur, staring at the place surrounding her.

The hut looked ancient, barely having anything at all to furnish it, other than a small straw bed in the middle, and some books, letters and scrolls neatly stashed near the dark walls. The single window illuminating her surroundings somewhat poorly. Despite the condition of the old wooden structure, it did not let any stray grains of sand enter the home, which avoided further deterioration of the look and feel of this place.

Leaving the apple where it was, the electric pokémon made her way to the books, selecting a red one in particular _"There! This is the new one- '_ _Charaka Saṃhitā', I believe it was called."_ She opened the scarlet colored book eagerly, sitting where the light of the widow could properly illuminate the pages- being sure to pick up the apple and set it at her side.

The book's cover was simply a rainbow colored feather, surrounded by the red of the book _"The feather of Ho-Oh… Yup, this is it."_ she proceeded to open her eyes starting to viciously read the pages in front of her _"'The wisdom written within this work was translated from the scriptures of our ancestors'… Blah Blah…."_ She jumped the first few lines, ignoring their contents- as if she knew what to expect of them.

"' _The great sages of the sand continent'… Hmm…"_ she kept skipping a few more lines _"...'Pages lost to time'… 'Legends often told'… 'Humans'…"_ and when she started flipping the pages, her awareness of the world surrounding her had all but died- and with it, her anxiety and her worries- What mattered to Pichu now was the knowledge in front of her _"...'Mend the wounds of those in need'... 'The path of the healer'... 'Blood'..."_

" _Hm...'The purpose of this collection is to encourage and further stimulate the love and passion for this noble craft'- Finally! I think this is it!"_ she gleefully stopped, and begun focusing even harder _"'Cure and healing are not exactly the same, but both are essential to learning medicine as a whole'… That's fair enough. But it's still just a basic concept."_ She sighed and skipped some more.

"' _The ideal medical student_ _should be of a mild disposition, likes solitude, of thoughtful disposition, free from anger, of excellent character, compassionate, one fond of study, devoted to both theory and practice, who seeks the good of all creatures- Shucks, that's a lot of things! Um- I think I can kinda qualify for now…"_ She thought, with a huge sigh, before continuing to read the book.

"' _...noble by nature, never mean in his acts, free from pride, strong memory, liberal mind, devoted to truth'. Erm okay, I really don't think I can be half of that, let alone it all… Wow, healers have it rough, If they really need to first be all of this before even learning... But at least I can try to be some of these things… Right? Mrs. Kommo-o wouldn't have given this to me otherwise..."_ She gulped, Pichu's heart beating faster, as if feeling some sort of unexisting, invisible pressure to succeed and to do good- or else.

She closed the book, turning to take a big bite from the apple beside, only for her ears to move, her fur raise a bit, and her eyes shine as the fruit's juices reached her tongue "whow! Thich ich dehlichious!" she eagerly swallowed, with a huge smile.

As the young girl merrily chomped the apple, her mind would drift off the more she finished her meal, looking around, seeing nothing but herself in this dark place, Pichu's spirit's soon would turn back to her usual melancholic state.

After she couldn't really bite the rest of the fruit's leftovers, Pichu instead looked back at the book, thinking… before hearing the old door start loudly beating because of the wind, making her sigh, with her head, tail and ears down.

* * *

**-Mirari's House-**

"T-There! That should be all!" Lawrence sighed, quickly sitting on the ground, taking deep breaths, looking around the (mostly) clean bedroom.

Fast-paced clapping could be heard, as an all too familiar female dragon stared at him from the only bed that wasn't ruined, striking her frontal claws together while smiling at him "Wowie! You've done that in no time! (Of course, mama helped, but that's not important!)"

The togepi kept trying to catch his breath, hiding a faint blush "Oh s-stop that!" he said, bashfully looking away.

"You should learn to take a compliment or two! Dunno what I would do without you here." Mirari giggles sheepishly "Since I'm all bruised, I'd have cleaned it all up at a slowpoke's pace! And since mama's cooking, she wouldn't be able to help out much!"

"Y-Yeah. I'm sure you would find a way." He dismissively replied, walking towards the resting Jangmo-o.

"Now, let's eat already! Dunno why you chose to do cleanup duty with your belly empty!" she cheerfully picked up one of the plates that were left on the nest, putting in front of her, while the fairy type climbed up.

"Never s-said you'd have to wait for me." he sat on her side, a bit more cramped since he now had to share the nest with her, but still not enough to be irritating.

Mirari looked at him confusedly, still smiling "Huh? That would be mean of me! Of course I'll wait for you! it would be unfair for me to eat and rest, while you do all the work and starve!"

He rolled his eyes, staring back at her "That's illogical. It was my choice to not eat, it was my fault for messing up your room anyway. I was just a guest, and look what I did!" he points to the now inexistent bed "Besides, I'm not that hungry..."

The jangmo-o surprises him by just staring at him with a blank expression. Her red eyes waiting for something to happen, her unnerving the togepi, until they suddenly heard a loud growl coming from his small stomach "A-ha! Gotcha on that one!"

Lawrence blushes even more, gulping and looking away "W-What do pokémon even eat for breakfast? Don't t-tell me we'll be eating a grumpig or something!" _that would be very weird, considering everyone outside those hellish dungeons appears to be sentient!_

The dragon tilted her head, clearly very confused "Uh? I mean, it's not unheard of, but not really what we do here! Berries, gummies, honey and whatnot are the things we usually eat…" _Oh, thank goodness! Just thinking about the all blood makes me wanna vomit!_

"But Lawrence, you're a pokémon too! It's impossible to not know what food is! Do fairies eat powder and makeup?" Mirari exclaimed. Lawrence couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

He chose to sigh and face palm with a frown "I told you, I'm human! I have no clue what wacky rules you pokémon follow!"

She rolled her eyes, taking another bite of a pink colored berry "Again with that? Look, you're just a togepi! It's obvious you just hit your head like, really hard!"

Lawrence was about to protest, before he heard another growl coming from his stomach "C'mon, Lawrie! Eat up! You'll starve if you keep talking!"

The togepi decided to drop it, and finally have the courage to eat the berries in front of him. Even with his amnesia, he can't say he has ever seen any of these strange fruits. They were all masterfully cut, all colors of the rainbow present on his plate. Feeling adventurous, he picked the weirdest of the bunch: a spiky, reddish orange berry. He closed his eyes and took a bit…

The berry was soft, very, very soft… The taste was something else! It was very spicy, almost unbearably so… And yet, he couldn't help but find it delicious. He eagerly begun chewing it, proceeding to do the same with the other strangely tasty berries.

"Heh! You seem to like it! Mama blends berries like no other pokémon!" Mirari heartily exclaimed, still chewing her own berries.

After he swallowed his, he took a pause to smile back at the dragon "Mhm! I never had something so tasty!"

They both merrily finished their meal, smiling all the way through, eventually, they heard loud footsteps approaching their location.

"Mama!" Mirari winced when she tried to get up and run towards the kommo-o, her stern gaze immediately making Mirari drop it.

"Hello, little one. Feeling better?" Kommo-o asked, in a motherly tone.

"Uh-huh! I'll be better in no time!... Just please, don't ask me to run!" She sheepishly replied, sweatdropping.

The big female smiled and chuckled, before turning to the togepi "And you, little togepi. You seem to be finished with the straw situation. Congratulations, everything looks clean." Mirari's mother took a rather long look around "Or at least as clean as Mirari's room can be."

"Hey!" The jangmo-o tried to sound offended, but she knew it was true.

"I wish I could clean more. I can't stand a messy place!" Lawrence said, huffing, still tired, looking at the many messy scrolls and toys just scattered around.

Kommo-o laughed a bit "Well then. I'll take your plates, little ones. Togepi, I hope you were satisfied. If not, I could always cook more."

Lawrence quickly shook his head and his stubby hands "Oh no! It was great, miss! I never had something so good!" he blushed a bit as he admitted it to her "O-Oh and my name's Lawrence, miss! N-No need to call me 'togepi'" He didn't admit it, but calling him that actually irked him a bit.

"I'm flattered. It is a pleasure, Law-rence. You may call me Kommo-o." she kindly replied, testing out his name as she spoke.

"A pleasure, miss Kommo-o! Thanks for helping us!" he extended his stubby hand, which made the kommo-o stare confusedly at the gesture, before slowly reaching out to shake it, a single claw almost dwarfing his entire hand.

Both dragons stared with a mix of confusion and bewilderment at the seemingly alien action, the togepi quickly sensing it, staring between them nervously, as if he had done something wrong "W-What?"

Noting the gesture, as she was trying to think of a way to change topics, she suddenly remembered one thing, while she looked at the duo "In this case, would you mind running an errand for me? Usually, I'd ask Mirari, but she's in a far worse state than you."

"Hey! That's not true, I can still totally-" she tried getting back up, only to fall flat on the bed, groaning and aching all over "Owowow… A-Actually, I might need to sit this one out. Let Lawrence stretch his muscles a bit, hahah!" both Kommo-o and Lawrence couldn't help but sweatdrop at that.

"Sure t-thing, miss! It's the least I could do after everything." he suddenly seemed to realise something, his eyes widening.

Lawrence then continued, before any of the two females could reply "Um, miss she-dragon! H-Have you seen something I was holding? U-Um it was a thing t-that pokémon gave me before he…"

Mirari lowered her head when she remembered what happened, Kommo-o understanding immediately what he meant "Ah. I recall the item you refer to. I have kept it safe." she nodded "In respect to Sableye, I have maintained it undisturbed. I suppose he chose to pass it down to you, for whatever reason."

Lawrence lowered his head too, remembering the very strange and scary events that transpired in that mysterious place "I-I have so many questions! Who was that guy? What m-made him go mad like that?"

Out of nowhere, Mirari soon added "And why the heck did he refer to little sandrop cave as 'crystal cave'?" she inquired, sincerely.

"S-Seriosly? _That's_ the question that's burning inside your head? A perso- I mean, a pokémon went crazy and attacked us, then sacrificed himself, and you're worried about s-semantics!?" Lawrence stared at her, she stared back.

"What? It's a legitimate question! I don't know a single pokémon that would refer to little sandrop cave as 'Crystal Cave' or whatever…" Mirari grimaced, her head slightly tilted in a sign of confusion.

"Hm…. 'Crystal Cave', you say?" Kommo-o seemed to try and answer Mirari's seemingly simple thought "It is quite strange. The dungeon popularly known as 'little sandrop cave' was formerly nicknamed 'Crystal Cave', for its many beautiful crystals."

"That's creative…" Mirari commented, rolling her eyes with a slight smirk, Lawrence merely nodded in agreement, focused in the wise mother's explanation.

"Though it was soon renamed, after the heroes of time, which were still apprentices at Wigglytuff's Guild, discovered a dungeon in their investigation for the time gears. They named it 'Crystal Cave', and so the name for our old dungeon was obsolete." She further explained to the two, whom were paying attention.

"Ah! I remember! It was during the time crisis! The great heroes battled the then villain grovyle, and thanks to the efforts of the brave leader, a former human, they managed to stall a much more powerful foe!" Mirari eagerly explained, Lawrence noting her sheer enthusiasm as she recalled the apparently historic events, telling them with such absolute glee and joy that it actually surprised him.

"Former… Human…?" Just two, simple words, but the tone and context she used those stunned him, especially how boldly and proudly she said the word 'human', much different than when the Jangmo-o referred to the possibility that he could be one.

"Correct, though your retelling is still too basic and romanticized to be considered accurate, sweetie." Kommo-o chastised, as if this was a flaw she was trying to make Mirari realise and fix "The crisis was about 15 years ago though. Maybe the poor Sableye was isolated for that long in the dungeon?"

" _That certainly helps my theory. I better put it in the report to the guild."_ The kommo-o couldn't help but think, as the two kids pondered about the dark implications of a pokémon being stuck alone for 15 years or more in a mystery dungeon.

"Enough about that. I'll answer any question you might have later, little Lawrence. For now, I must resume cooking lunch." she sternly said, with that certain imposing motherly tone that screamed finality "And you, Lawrence…"

He looked at Kommo-o, expecting having something to do with more cleaning, only for her to pick up a green, protective scarf, offering to him "...will deliver food to little Pichu."

Lawrence seemed a bit confused, not really sure of the context of the request.

* * *

**Pichu's House**

The small rodent often didn't remember her dreams, if she even had them, but this particular time, she had quite the interesting one.

The electric type remembers floating through dark, endless nothing, feeling lost in the absolute blackness of the landscape surrounding her. Alone, cold and forgotten. Usually, these thoughts would not be alien to her, but on this specific time, she felt…

Before she could really process how melancholic her heart was, she was suddenly awakened by the sounds of knocking. Very different from the usual banging of the door, the creaking on the floor and the ever present howling of the winds. Which made her think, was a sandstorm happening? That would explain the various sounds around her.

Perhaps it was that mysterious benefactor that randomly delivered her food whenever she needed it? Though they usually just left it at the door. She chose to believe it was some sort of holy spirit, or even some miracle granting force. She made her way to the door, opening it carelessly fast, believing it to be just another supply or special meal deliver.

She did not, however, expect to see a bandaged, scarf wearing, very confused and tired togepi carrying the usual wrap where her special meals. Distraught and clearly having a hard time thanks to the sandstorm behind him. The little fairy was just about her height, which made looking at him all the easier, apparently he was carrying a singular plate, beautifully wrapped like a present.

"U-Um… Excuse me! You're P-Pichu?" he asked, almost screaming thanks to the howling of the sandstorm's winds, with a masculine yet very childish and high pitched voice. He seemed to be clutching around the scarf, which seemed to be intended to protect him from the sun only.

"Erm. Yes…?" Pichu replied, as nervous and unsure as the togepi seemed to be.

"Ah! So, I-I got this for you! It's from miss Ko- I mean, from someone that cares for you!" he stumbles on his words, offering her the present.

"Oh, um! I see! Thank you…" she stumbles back, picking the present from his hands, awkwardly staring at him, waiting for something.

Lawrence wasn't much better, but seeing that she wouldn't take the first step, he decided to say the first thing that came in his mind "M-May I enter a bit? I've been searching you for a while, and I could use a quick rest!"

Being stunned at the sight of an unknown pokémon her age on her door, acting so friendly and shy… And facing a sandstorm to deliver her food made her heart rate accelerate, for some reason. Unable to speak, she mumbled a yes, and nodded, stepping aside.

The togepi smiled bashfully, entering the house respectfully, though he failed to resist the urge to sit down and let out a huge sigh of relief "Uf. Thank you! I really needed that!"

She suddenly cringed, a dark thought invading her mind: _"What if he's one of the kids that just wants to play another prank on me? What if this is just a rouse, and he's trying to take advantage of me to stay in my house? What if-"_

"W-Wow! Your house is beautiful!" he said, interrupting her thoughts all of a sudden. If she had a drink, she'd spill it out dramatically at the remark "I-I mean, it's way different than the other houses I saw." he completed his line of thought, she'd laugh had he not said it in a very serious and sincere tone.

"Very funny. Did you come here just to laugh at me?" Pichu replied, Togepi only looked at her with truthful confusion "What's in the box? One of those jumping scary toys?"

"Huh? You g-got jack-in-the-boxes here?" he mumbled, making the electric type stare at him "I-I mean, no such thing! Miss Ko- _someone that cares for you_ asked me to deliver your lunch. She said something about it being special?"

Pichu stared at the togepi with serious, judging eyes. Yet in his, she only saw innocence and… Sand. Sand everywhere, actually "You're all sandy…" Pichu decided to point out.

When he looked at himself, he blushed cutely "I-I know! God, I hate sand! It's c-coarse… and rough... and irritating and it gets everywhere!" he huffed, trying to shake some of it off.

The pichu giggled a bit at the scene, making Togepi blush even redder. Feeling a bit more comfortable, she decided to clarify "... I sometimes receive food from an unknown source. Sometimes it's supplies- which I have to cook and such, other times, I receive already done meals. They are really tasty…"

He nodded, with his mouth open "Ah! I-I see! So the pokémon of the village give you food?"

She quickly shook her head "No. Or at least I don't think so. Pokémon here are awful…"

The togepi tilted his head "Uh? Really? I haven't seen anything awful from the pokémon here!"

"Then clearly you're new around here." she bitterly shot back.

He looked down, before looking back with a weak smile "T-Then that means I can't be all that bad, right?"

That, yet again, wasn't really the answer she was expecting. Despite all the doom and gloom she was preaching, Pichu couldn't help but let out a small giggle once more.

"Hah! That m-means you agree!" he pointed at her playfully, smilling more "I-I'm Lawrence!" he offered her his stubby hand.

She almost choked as the fairy suddenly spoke out his name like that, a few sparks leaving her cheek cutely "You're… A very weird pokémon, Lorence." she just stared at his hand, unsure what he wanted.

Then suddenly, she felt his stubby hand getting closer, and touching her hand, then shaking it. The suddenly, unexpected act making her heart almost jump through her chest, her cheeks shooting bolts of blue lightning, making her suddenly turn away nervously, looking away from the fairy, embarrassed, but… warm.

" _It's funny. How the same action can have wildly different intentions, and wildly different reactions"_ she couldn't help but ponder, still feeling her heart beat faster and faster, a smile making its way into her face _"That blasted Darumaka offered me his paw as if to coerce me into giving him something, this togepi offered me his paw to… show friendship? Darumaka grabbed my paw to scare and taunt me, Lawrence grabbed it show trust. Daru-"_

"H-Hey! I'm sorry!" she heard a squeak coming from behind her "I-I'm not from around here a-a-and I didn't mean to offend you-" he suddenly halted as the female turned around.

"... You didn't offend me. I'm… just not used to it, that's all." she tried to force a weak smile "Erm. And your customs are weird. You're from another continent, aren't you?"

"... Yes. Definitely." Lawrence was a bit suspicious with that one, but Pichu attributed it merely to his own nervousness and embarrassment. Two things she could relate to very well "And um. It's 'Lawrence'. Not 'Lorence' or w-whatever."

"Ah! Forgive me, Lawrence! Guess that explains your weird name and mannerisms!" she smiled seepishly, happy to find out the 'truth' "There really aren't that many faiy-types around these wastelands. And certainly none as… affectionate as you."

He blushed and looked away, feeling his own heart hammering his chest "Y-You got me. I'm _definitely_ not from around here!"

"Huh! I've never seen a foreigner like yourself around here. Usually, they prefer staying in the big cities, or the more famous settlements." Pichu inquired, making Lawrence sweat bullets.

"I-I! Um… I-I…" it was physically painful for him to lie to an innocent like that, but he was advized against telling the truth… So he had to carefully step in a grey area "I… I'm lost. I got separated from my parents, and got saved by miss Kommo-o and Mirari while lost in the desert…"

"Oh! So you're the guest at her home! That explains those bandages!" Pichu nodded, while Lawrence internally breathed a huge sigh of relief "You must have been through a lot... I'm sorry if I made you feel unwelcome before, it's just that I am not... used to sincerity, I guess."

"Nah, y-you're fine! I shouldn't have been so forward. It was not polite of me..." Quick to change the subject, the togepi decided to capitalize in what she just said "And Y-Yeah! Me and Mirari entered a dungeon, and had to survive there until mrs. Kommo-o saved us."

She grimanced, listening to his story with interest "I'm sorry. I hope you are ok now. Jangmo-o used to drag me to her little 'adventures' as well. Though now she has thankfully stopped. Erm, mostly… I think she did it to mess with me."

Lawrence awkwardly chuckled "Hah… I can certainly say Mirari is… Difficult. And reckless. Unorganized. Stubborn. And proud. And rarely minds what others want." he had to take a deep breath, before continuing "But. She is also the kindest per- pokémon I know! She doesn't hesitate in helping others when she sees they need it, and she genuinely has good intentions! (even if she sometimes doesn't show…)"

Pichu was dumbfounded at how honestly, kindly and confidently the little shy togepi defended his friend, and even still, he wasn't done "...So I t-think she meant no harm! By what I could gather, Mirari doesn't have many friends either. Maybe she was trying to get close to you?"

Pichu didn't expect that. She didn't expect any of that. Had this little pokémon told me he was a fire type, she'd have believed him after that. She had never seen such passion in a single speech in a long time, the last one being…

Pichu quickly shook her thoughts away. No, she couldn't dwell in it any longer… Not now…

"Hm. I guess I can see what you mean…" she pondered, looking down, now feeling bad for thinking that Jangmo-o had ill intent behind her… energetic behavior "You talk like you know her all your life. You two must be really close. Or you must trust her a lot. Maybe both."

He blushed at that, unsure of what to say, he merely gulped and stayed quiet, Pichu doing the same. Both simply staring at one another, but when their gazes met, they'd look away, as if to hide the very obvious fact that they were looking at one another.

After a brief moment of more silence, Lawrence decided to break it at once "U-Um! You see, I meant it when I said your home was beautiful!" he blurted out.

Pichu stared at him, confusedly "...You're joking, right?"

"N-No! R-Really! I mean it!" Lawrence replied.

"What's there to like it about this depressing, dusty cage?" she pressed on, not really annoyed like before, but rather intrigued.

"Um, I mean-" he got up and begun walking around "Sure it looks old and depressing! But I choose to see it not as it is! But as it could be!"

She looked at him, still confused. Noting that, he decided to elaborate "L-Let's see… There! Look at that!" he pointed to the only source of light in the house.

"...A window." Pichu answered, still not sure where he was going.

"Precisely! Now, currently there's nothing underneath the widow. But!" he looked around, before walking in the direction of a pile of books she was reading, picking one of them up, stumbling towards underneath the widow.

He huffed and placed the book underneath the light of the widow, seeing the color shine under the sun rays "Now! Let's imagine a study table here!"

She put one paw under her chin, pondering deeply, seeing herself quietly reading a book in a simple, oval table under the light outside "Huh. I guess a table wouldn't look so bad."

Almost as if seeing her lame, simple thought, he immediately interrupted "No! Not just a simple table! T-Think bigger!" she stared at him, silent with curiosity. Now seeing herself being dwarfed by a gigantic, oppressive table, struggling to read the book.

Lawrence facepalmed at that, trying to explain himself better "Hmm… H-How about… An I shaped table… W-With… Three shelves!" he pondered, just slow enough for her to start picturing it all "Then, on top of the table itself, you could have a painting on the wall! You could decorate the table with various books and notes too!"

She then started imagining herself, reading a book calmly, with at least three set aside on the table, with her various notes and scrolls either on the table, or in the shelves. A large painting of zapdos summoning thunderstorms at just nearby on the wall.

"You could even put t-tools for experiments, if you're into that sort of t-thing! Like, maps if you like history, berries and fruits for cooking or chemistry, o-or even medical tools or something!" Yet again, the ever evolving scene got even more serene, now she pictured her reading those medical books she was fond of, and actually practicing some of the recipes for potions, healthy drinks and cures using berries and herbs, while the sand outside blocked some of the pure light from outside, making for a painting esque scene.

She suddenly got so lost in the daydream she failed at noticing the togepi staring at her "S-So? What do you think?"

A few bolts of electricity left her cheeks, as she shyly looked away "I suppose… It's a very pretty sight. But I expect to see that in a guild or in one of those palaces of stories! How could I make this dusty house look like that, when I'm just a kid?" she soon lowered her ears and tail, looking down.

"Hm. I-I guess it is rather hard to do these things at our age… and size." he concluded, furthering helping Pichu's spiral into melancholy "But!"

Pichu looked back at him, seeing him untie the protective scarf around his neck, holding it like a handkerchief.

"...We can still clean this place up!"


	5. Ordinary World II

" _The more time passes, I can't help but feel uneasy. I notice shadows spying and preying upon us. I fear darkness approaches- and it comes from within."_

_-Wazir of Defence Tai Wu.  
_

* * *

**Chapter V: Ordinary World II**

"Hm… The storm seems to be only worsening…" Kommo-o grimaced, staring outside, sand and wind blocking the view.

"Mama, shouldn't he be back by now?" Mirari asked, confused and clearly worried.

"I told Togepi to return as soon as he felt like the storm would come." She said, musing "And by the time it started, he couldn't be too far from here."

"I wouldn't have even dreamed of sending him had I known it would hit us so soon." The adult continued, still staring at the seemingly infinite amount of sand clouding outside.

"Do you think he's lost? Oh no! Maybe he's stuck somewhere and can't get out! Mama, we gotta-" The small jangmo-o tries to get up in a hurry, only to wince, and feel her body giving in, biding her to the bed she was laying on.

"You certainly don't expect much from him." Kommo-o added, which Mirari responded only with silence "Maybe he's already by her house as we speak."

"B-But he'd have to endure this sandstorm! And by the look of things…" Mirari almost whispers, her mother just keeps staring in silence.

"C-Could he have pushed himself…? But why…? How…?"

Kommo-o smiles quietly to herself _"Hm. Very well, human. I can sense what you've done. You passed the first test."  
_

* * *

**Pichu's House**

"I-I need another break!" A very tired male voice says, proceeding to huff and puff in exhaustion, soon falling to the floor.

"That's ok. We've reached another milestone!" A equally tired, but slightly more cheerful female voice replied, sitting with him.

The togepi put the scarf they were using to clean the house on the ground with them, looking at it with interest "Who w-would have guessed that scarf was so good at cleaning?"

Lawrence stared at the place, noting how most of the grime and dust had been eradicated by the strange scarf, just using it to scrub things was more than effective- though the once light green scarf was certainly getting darker the more they used it.

The Pichu stared curiously at the green scarf, examining it with laser focus "Hm. That seems to be a No-Stick Scarf. It stops items from getting dirty and sticky- and apparently, it's pretty good at cleaning old houses."

"W-Wait did Miss Kommo-o give me a rag to wear!?" Lawrence suddenly exclaimed.

The pichu stared at him with amusement, smiling a bit "Kinda…? I mean, it's an item that certainly would have helped protecting you from a sandstorm!... At least a tiny bit!"

Lawrence smiled sheepishly "Well, it didn't do much! That sandstorm still hit me hard- I thought I was gonna go blind there!"

Pichu thought for a little bit, before asking "Why did you hurt yourself just to come here?" She questioned, getting a little closer to the togepi "I live a bit far from the rest of the village. Considering you came from Mrs. Kommo-o's house… Well, it's a long walk. Especially if you don't know where my house is."

Lawrence smiled sheepishly and looked away, gulping nervously "Well, I'll admit I was scared at first…"

* * *

_**Oasis Village, Earlier** _

_I was already trembling, I could see the winds picking up around me, and miss Kommo-o had said that a big storm was coming. It was like a whisper in the back of my mind, just reminding me of the danger, and even the tiniest of coincidences was an omen of doom in my paranoid mind…_

" _Not good, not good…" I whispered to myself, seeing as more and more small grains of sand begun flying from the ground, being carried by the ever increasing waves of air._

_I didn't find any house that fit the description she gave me! It's almost like she was hiding information! To be honest, it was pretty dumb for me not to ask… But I just really trusted that what she said was all I needed to know._

_And as I've already told you, it wasn't!_

" _Ugh. None of t-these houses fits the description!" I frantically looked around. For some reason, all the houses in this town were strange- They were all made of rock, and look pretty… plain. I'm sorry if that offends you! No offence? Oh goodie._

_Anyway, I could see a huge cloud of dark brown sand approaching from the distance, just where I was… saved by miss. Kommo-o, in the desert._

_So I was slowly freaking out! I couldn't see any pokémon in the streets, and those I saw looked scary and in a hurry! I assume they were all returning home to hide or something. Thankfully, I found somebody!_

_It was an armadil- I mean... a pokémon with yellow hide, with a bricked pattern and a white snout and underbelly. He seemed really serious- and seemed to be pretty calm, even if in the middle of nowhere like me, and utterly alone. Something told me he was my age, if not a little older._

" _U-Um… Excuse me." I said, very reluctantly. I… am not good with starting conversations, and honestly hate stuff like small talk and whatnot._

_He, again don't ask me how I knew, only stared at me quietly with those strange_ _almond-shaped_ _black eyes. It took me a while to notice they were actually just really dark blue- I really avoided to stare too much at them._

" _E-Erm… Um…" Again, not the best at dialogue, especially with a stranger… "I'm looking for… P-Pichu…"_

_The sandshrew stared at me with an unreadable expression, I felt my heart skipping a few beats "Um! She's a… pokémon that lives here!" You don't say "And… I think she lives in a house made of wood?" Noting how every house here was made of rock, yours had to be unique._

_I was starting to think this pokémon was mute, and I was just offending him by blabbering on, so you can assume how surprised I was when he answered me with a surprisingly gentle, yet at the same time surprisingly rough voice "I know her. Why do you want to know?"_

_He didn't even ask me who I was and stuff! Not that I'm complaining, straight to the point is always good for me "U-Um… I'm going to deliver her food! Miss. Kom- Someone that cares for her told me she sometimes needs it!"_

_The sandshrew stared at the 'present' I was carrying, seeming contemplative. Unsure what was on his mind, I decided to the vocal one "A-Are you her friend?"_

_He seemed alarmed by the question, quickly answering a simple and dry "No." his expression stoic as ever, but he seemed to have a hint of emotion… I don't know why, but I could sense it was… guilt? And… Worry?_

" _Then why are you worried?" My simple question seemed to take him by surprise, his claws shifted a bit, and I could tell his heart accelerated if only for a second._

_He seemed to be having an internal debate. I felt that the more I talked to him, the more I could understand his feelings. It's like he was opening up to me somehow, or maybe I was opening up to him._

_Eventually, he seemed to make up his mind "My friends… Pick on her a lot." Again, this guy was very stoic and maybe even cold, but I could sense sincere regret in his voice "I don't like that."_

" _Why do they pick on her?" I ask, knowing he'll answer with sincerity._

_He seemed confused by the question "The excuse is that her father… Nevermind." he stopped, and by his tone, it was better not to push it._

" _Why don't you stop them, then?" I ask, I'll admit my tone might have been a bit more harsh than what I intended._

" _...I like my friends. And that's just how they are." he concluded, but he did not seem completely sure of his own answer._

" _But you like Pichu as well, don't you?" Again, I might have been more harsh than normal in my tone, even if I did not mean it._

" _... She lives alone on top of that dune. Nobody but her goes there." He pointed at it, it was indeed quite the big dune, and thanks to my diminutive size, I never would have figured it out unless I asked._

" _O-Ok but you haven-" Before I could finish, he interrupted me._

" _It has begun. Good luck." He said, turning around. And just as I was about to question him, I felt a huge gale suddenly assault me, in my obliviousness, I was careless and easily thrown into the sandy ground, my body being assaulted by one thousand needles..._

* * *

"..."

"...?"

"..."

"...And then?" Pichu finally squeaked curiously, seeing as the togepi was quiet all of a sudden.

"...T-Then I arrived here!" He said, laughing nervously.

"Wha- But you can't just stop there! You skipped the climax of the story! That is… The one thing you absolutely can't do!" Pichu indignantly replied, crossing her arms and staring deeply at Lawrence.

"U-Um, It's really not that interesting! I just discovered that the sand didn't stick where the scarf protected, and I crossed the storm to reach here! That's it!" He tried to appease her, though Pichu's deep, serious and judgmental stare easily tore through him.

"Ok, ok… I'll continue. Geez, your eyes are like dangerous weapons." He sighed, blushing a bit as he pondered how to phrase the rest of the story, Pichu smiled happily, arms still crossed.

"Thank you. Now please, if you may." She made a playfully exaggerated gesture with her paw for him to continue, Lawrence only lowered his head.

* * *

_I'll have to admit, never have I ever wished I was taller than when I started trying to get through that damn dune. That damn thing was like a mountain… but soft, annoying and filled with sand! By that point, I had already noticed that the green scarf protected me somewhat from the sand, not allowing it to stick to me, so I used it to cover my face and 'neck'._

_I honestly don't know why, but ever since I got thrown to the ground like a ragdoll by the wind, I started running towards your house. The thing is, my rational side knew it was safer and more logical to run back to Mirari's home… But yet, I had chosen to shut off my rational side. At least until I found you._

_The more I tried to ignore the multiple stings that the infinite flying grains of sand unleashed upon me, the more they hurt. Had I not been bandaged and with the scarf, I feel like it would have stung even more! I almost started feeling faint, my eyes were already half closed to try and resist that damn storm._

_I wanted to give up. My logical side was taking control, I simply couldn't do it. I was almost in the middle, but my little feet gave in, I was panting, it was getting hard to breathe, the winds were hurting my hearing, my heart was racing, I started rolling down the sandy hill, getting even more sand all over me, and further damaging my little muscles. I'm very thankful for this little egg armor I have too, else I feel like I would have fainted right there and then. I felt a rush of despair as I saw all my progress get erased just like that. It felt like I was literally in the bottom of a mountain,_

_Then there I was, pathetic, tired and scared, on the verge of falling asleep in the sand… But then, I remembered what miss Kommo-o told me about you. I wasn't delivering you a toy or a letter or something superfluous/_ _inessential. I was to deliver food. You could starve if I failed. You could feel hunger and pain- Of course, I was overreacting, but again, my reason wasn't completely in control- And in that moment, I felt like you were counting on me._

_But then I remembered what that armadil- that sandshrew said, you were lonely. No one but you came here. Not only were you relying on me, but_ _**only** _ _on me. In my stupid little head at the time, I thought that if I gave up, then you'd be all alone._

_And to me, that was unacceptable._

_Don't ask me how that works, but I had a power I completely forgot about, Mirari referred to it as 'Life Stew'. For some reason, when I thought of you, and how only I could help you, I could weave that strange energy, and I begun shining aqua blue. My energy returning to my body, giving me another chance, even if the odds were still stacked against me._

_So instead of just trying to tough it out and walk through the sandstorm, I would have to be smarter, since I was far too meek to brute strength my way pass my problems. I had to try and control that healing power if I wanted to reach your home and complete my quest._

_Previously, I merely used the power through my emotions, it was instinctive, I couldn't really command it. It was a burst to energy, but now, I decided that It was necessary to use it in short pauses, to recover some of my energy, and push further and further in the dune._

_Feeling my body burning in the sand bellow, I started to act, using my newfound energy to push forward, and restart the journey up. I decided to go slowly, preserving my ever lowering stamina, my little feet already feeling like they were on fire because of the hot sand. I think I was there too long. Luckily, I was already making my way up, and trying my best to ignore that plus the sand stabbing against my fragile skin._

_To use 'Life Stew', first I used the those thoughts I had of you, how you needed me, and how I couldn't fail. Sure, that worked, but it was still quite inconsistent. So I tried to take power from something… Simpler. I tried to slowly dismember the thoughts on my mind, perhaps then I could find out what really was the 'fuel' to my power._

_I simplified the emotions I felt. Instead of focusing on something of the present, I instead choose an ideal. Instead of thinking about how you'd starve without my help… I started thinking of you in general. How fondly miss Kommo-o thought of you, how Mirari seemed to like you, and those things that Sandshrew said._

" _She's nice." That was when I realised, I didn't feel pity for you. I wanted to see you happy. Someone I haven't really met, and never even interacted with. I wanted to see you smile, simply because the thought of you sad angered me._

_I realised that just as I was about to fall again, my weak feet trembling as the wind pushed me back, as if wanting me to fall. My heart was beating faster and I was shaking, though this time it wasn't fear, it felt like… a culmination._

_And then I started walking faster, and faster… and begun sending those aqua blue lights more often. Because that idea that I wanted to see you happy was very easy to think, and just as motivating as my previous ones._

_And just like that, I blinked, and I was in front of your door. I didn't really see the outside of your home, I didn't really need to. I knocked against the door, slowly feeling my mind calming down, and my rational side returning in full force._

_I saw a small, confused looking rodent, staring at my battered, exhausted, but healed body with cute little eyes, she seemed to be my size, and I could tell she really didn't know what to say. I didn't blame you._

" _U-Um… Excuse me! You're P-Pichu?"_

* * *

Lawrence then finally finished telling his story, gulping and looking away, Pichu's ears moved a bit, as she kept staring at him "Why were you so hesitant to tell me that part?"

He shifted and embarrassedly avoided eye contact with her "A-Are you serious? That felt like a story you'd hear from a self help book! I didn't even know you, and yet I acted like you were the sole reason for my existence!"

She didn't seem fazed at all "I think that was really sweet. The sweetest a pokémon my age has ever been to me."

He blushed scarlet red "S-Still! T-That's embarrassing to admit…"

She smiled, avoiding gaze with him too, clearly a bit embarrassed as well "Thank you, Lawrence… Not only for pushing yourself for me, but for the cleaning… and the company."

He found the courage to stare into her eyes, still with a faint blush in his light yellow self, smiling "Of course. Anytime, friend."

Pichu's skipped a beat as he so casually used that word to describe her. This foreigner was weird! Being so casual with his feelings and affections wasn't common around here! Pokémon didn't just throw around the word 'friend' like that!

She didn't notice, but Lawrence was looking around the house to see their results, the floor of the house was completely clean of dust, sand or any mold, it's as if the scarf erased them from existence. The walls no longer had that very decrepit look, and while they couldn't really clean the roof or the upper half of the walls, their work had considerably improved the place, no longer it looked like a haunted house from a horror movie. It was still empty and a bit gloomy, but it was more clean, at least.

Though when he looked at the rag they were using, he saw how it was dirty, sandy, a bit thorn, and no longer was it the vibrant green from before "Well, I'll have some explaining to do to miss Kommo-o…"

Pichu stared at the pitiful state of the scarf and sighed "I'm sorry. I'm sure she can get it back to shape, though."

"I mean, I don't even like green all that much. But this just looks dreadful." he pointed at it.

Pichu had an idea, and quickly asked "Oh yeah? What's your favorite color?"

The togepi was surprised by the question, but shrugged it off and thought for a moment "Hm… Blue! Not light, but not too dark either!"

"So more or less cyan?" She inquired further.

"I suppose! Then Cyan's my favorite color!" he smiled "How about yours?"

"I like red. And black." She pondered, before growing quiet again, thinking and planning something.

"Say, you never told me your name." Lawrence asked.

Pichu looked at him in confusion, head tilted a bit "Hum… I have. It's Pichu."

It was the togepi's turn to look at her in confusion "No, I mean… Your real name!"

"...It's Pichu." She said, as if waiting for a punchline or something.

"So you're telling me that after you evolve, your name will be 'Pikachu'?" Lawrence himself thought that she was the one who was about to tell a punchline.

"Correct…?" Pichu could only stare at the fairy type, trying to see where he was going.

"Huh? You don't have a unique name, like Mirari does?" He questioned, Pichu still tried to comprehend what he meant, until she had an idea.

"Ah. You are a foreigner, so perhaps you don't know, but here in the sand continent, we have a deep divide between pokémon…" Pichu explained, when she saw Lawrence's confused expression, she elaborated.

"You see, unlike in the other continents, we of the sand were once an 'empire'." Pichu said it, almost as if Lawrence wasn't supposed to know what that last word meant "It is said that we inherited our customs from the humans, before they mysteriously vanished thousand of years ago."

Lawrence felt his heart skip a beat at the mention of that, his focus absolute "The exact accounts vary from source to source. But what's important is that, in those ancient times, the empire eventually turned into a 'tyranny', where the few begun controlling the many."

" _Where have I heard that before…?"_ Lawrence gulped, nodding and silently allowing her to continue the story.

"The pokémon from the continent rebelled, and after they dismantled the emperor, two sides in the rebellion begun clashing for power. The Mawal, loyalists who embraced the humanist ideals and wanted the culture and structure to remain similar to how they said humans taught them, for they believed they were enlightened and virtuous beings." She took a deep breath, Lawrence still didn't know where any of that would go.

"And the Shimabara, pokémon who were fed up with the way things were, and thought humans vanished because Arceus himself vanquished them, for their twisted ways. And thus, they wanted the pokémon from the continent to adopt a completely different way of life, completely free from humans." Pichu paused, the togepi seemed to have an expression of worry, fearing this world might be more hostile than he originally thought.

"W-Who won…?" He asked, sweating bullets, unsure if he'd rather have tyrants that liked humans, or extremists who hated them.

"Well… Both lost." She dryly said, trying to explain it thoroughly, but not make it too complex "At first, the Mawal had the control over the continent, but the Shimabara revolt soon took over. They abolished and erased most of the human influence, much to the Mawal's dismay. Many battles were fought, a lot of time passed… And after all that conflict, the former empire disbanded, and eventually we were forced by the other continents to cease the fighting, and adopt a more foreign friendly policy, it's why we now speak the same tongue, and have long abandoned some of the more archaic traditions. Erm, mostly."

"But… What does all of that have to do with names?" Lawrence was still puzzled, but he clearly was paying close attention.

Pichu then clarified "Well. Naming was a human thing, so the Mawal were pretty adamant about it. The Shimabara denounced it, and instead preferred to use a pokémon's species as their name, with physical characteristics and titles to differentiate two pokémon of the same species."

Lawrence couldn't seem to wrap his head around it "Huh? I don't follow… What do you mean titles or physical characteristics?"

Pichu put one paw on her chin, pondering how to illustrate it "Hm… You see, the Shimabara value freedom, nature, strength and accomplishment above all, while the Mawal value hierarchy, loyalty, knowledge and order. So to a Shimabara, a 'name' would be utterly meaningless, but through a title or a physical uniqueness, they could truly see your 'worth', or lack thereof…"

"So… If I became famous and known throughout the world as Lawrence, the dune climber… Because I climbed a lot of dunes, is that how a Shimabara would call me?" Lawrence tried.

"Well… You'd be _Togepi_ , the dune climber, yes." She corrected "Names are a human thing, don't forget."

"But… does that mean you're a Shimabara? Because you have no name, I mean." He deducted, Pichu looked down.

"I mean, only the more traditionalists of Mawal would ever adopt a name these times. It's simply rare. So you can say that it's a dying tradition, thanks to the Shimabara's influence." She sighed "But yes, this is a Shimabara village. The architecture is a very easy way of identifying it, it's simple, not at all luxurious, and prefers practicality to beauty."

Lawrence remembered the other houses, looking more like huts made of rock. Like he said before in his story, it all looked… bland. Uninspired. "I really don't mean to offend anyone, but I think that the houses here look… boring. Except yours. At least outside. Why's that?"

That sudden question made Pichu look away, her ears and tail falling down in a sad way "I'd… Rather not talk about it." Lawrence feels the sudden rush of melancholy washing over her, and immediately drops it, being surprised when she takes the initiative and changes the subject "Anyway, your way of thinking and acting is similar to a Mawal. I suppose your continent must be closely related to humans. Where are you from, exactly?"

He could tell that it was a innocent and simple question, but he couldn't help but cringe and shift nervously. He really sucked at lying. He understood now why going around saying he was a human… wasn't the best idea, maybe.

"U-Um… I-I…" Lawrence gulped, knowing he wouldn't be able to tell an absolute lie, so he chose to instead tell a half-truth "I-I… Don't remember. When I… got separated from my parents, I just woke up unsure where I came from…" Again, that wasn't really the truth, but he wasn't deceiving her completely either.

As the fairy was done talking, he could sense her expression softening up, Pichu was taken back and clearly was a bit shocked at the revelation "I… See. I'm sorry for asking. I would be glad to answer any questions you might have, if I know the explanation, of course."

Lawrence merely smiled, waving dismissively "It's ok, I know you didn't mean anything by it. I t-try to just not think about the amnesia too much." He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he dodged a bullet there "You'd make an excellent teacher. There are some things I don't quite get yet… But you really helped me!"

Pichu smiled, a rush of happiness overtaking her as the Togepi complimented her so openly, feeling happy to have helped with her knowledge "You're welcome. I love learning, but my dream is to be a healer. You know, take care of illnesses, wounds and curses."

"'C-Curses'…? Oh, nevermind. I think it's a great dream!" He sincerely cheered on "I have that weird healing power, but I don't think I could ever be a doctor. It's so much responsibility!"

"Hah. Yeah… But honestly, I just get happy at the thought of being appreciated. As a healer, or 'doctor' as you put it, I believe I would be… useful." Pichu said with a sorrowful smile, before Lawrence could really say anything, she cut him off "I have lots of books we could read while you rest. Would you like to?"

At first, he frowned a bit, feeling how much Pichu seemed to bottle up her emotions, as if some strange togepi instinct of his was telling him the subtle cues of her feelings. Though feeling like he could cheer her up more if he simply dropped it again, Lawrence instead chose to give her a smile and nod "Of course! What's your favorite?"

* * *

**-?, Sand Continent-**

The sun was high upon the cloudless skies. Burning the ground below, mercilessly scorching all the poor pokémon who were inevitably caught in its path. The breeze was weak, just pushing a bit of a biped, concealed pokémon's cloak. He was relatively small, and seemed to be travelling light, with only a common explorer's bag to call his.

The endless desert surrounding him would make lesser pokémon feel despair, but somehow, this wanderer knew exactly where he was meant to go. But that didn't mean he was happy about leaving the more grassy and rocky parts of the sand continent to go to the more… sandy parts.

Suddenly, he had to halt his trip, as he heard a faint, yet very familiar beep coming from inside his bag.

He used one of his white, sharp claws to pick up a badge, safely hidden in a secret compartment of the bag. Said badge was black and purple, looking like a dark sun.

"What?" A young, yet rash sounding male voice said, muttering a bit under his hood.

"Cancel your current mission. _They_ are making a big move. I need my best agents in key locations. Return to Gobi and await further instructions." A cold, calculating voice came out of the dark badge.

"What!?" The hooded figure growled, almost yelling, resisting the urge to crush the badge between his claws "I've spent weeks walking through this damn desert sun tracking this bastard! And when I finally got hi-" Before the bold one could continue, he was harshly interrupted.

"Agent. Do not forget your place. Do not mistake my favor for you for affection." The voice coldly spat, verbally smacking the male "Enough with your blabbering. Do not talk back to me. Obey my command. Your skills are better used elsewhere. I do not care who you are hunting, why nor how long you are. Return to the Town of Gobi and await further instructions. That is all."

"I-!" And just like that, the voice cut off, and the device's light turned off. Making the cloaked figure even more mad than before.

"You son of a- Damn you!" He growled, tightening his grip around the dark device, his mind boiling with anger.

"You know what? You can go suck it, 'boss'." He spat, throwing the device to the ground, stepping on it callously.

He then used one claw to grab his cloak, and rip it to shreds in but a moment, exposing his dark blue, almost black, fur with three bright red, almost pink, feathers for his tail, and a single, large one in his ear.

The sneasel stretched his slim body with a smirk, looking at the midday sun, then back forward, in the seemingly endless desert ahead, his grin only growing.

"Time to go dark again!" He announced maliciously, with glee, gracefully dashing across the desert to reach his destination, his bag flowing alone with his dexterous movements.

As the ice type hurriedly made his way to his intended location, the sun-shaped, dark device in the sand begun vibrating and beeping with urgency, only to be ignored and left buried, cracked and forgotten in the sand.

* * *

**-Pichu's house-**

"...And this one, is mostly about anatomy and pokémon types." A female electric type pointed out, in front of a sitting togepi, that had an enormous pile of books right by his side.

"What's it doing in the 'history' section, then?" Lawrence asked, trying his best to read the strange language, hiding his confusion at the footprint-like letters.

"I don't know, actually. Might have put there by mistake." Pichu pondered, not like she was the most organized pokémon in the world anyway.

"Well, how about fantasy books? You got any?" The curious fairy asked, to which the Pichu could only shake her head _"Would be ironic,_ _pokémon_ _having fantasy books…"_

"I don't particularly like those. I think reading them is a waste. History is much more interesting, and useful." Pichu stated, Lawrence could only shrug.

"Lawrence, look!" The togepi jumped a bit at Pichu's sudden change of tone, looking around frantically for something wrong.

Then, he felt his stubby little hand be grabbed by the rodent, pushing him towards the window, before he could even speak, the harsh, yet pure sunlight greeted him, not being obscured by any sand.

"T-The sandstorm! It's gone!" The togepi smiled to Pichu, she nodded and smiled back.

"Yes! Finally… usually, we don't have that many sandstorms, nor do they last that long." She said, looking at the sun up in the sky, reflecting in her little eyes, and on Lawrence's.

She suddenly noticed they were still holding paws, and hastily let go, thankfully, the unaware male didn't seem to notice. That didn't stop her from looking away, embarrassed.

"Wow, it has been a while! Let's go outside!" He looked at her with a smile, beckoning her to follow as he went for the door, she did without complaint.

When the two left, they could see the village from up the dune, the sun illuminating it all, showing the pokémon leaving their stone huts as well, talking and chatting amongst one another. Lawrence could identify a Rhyperior talking with a Rapidash, he also saw a small, fire monkey/gorilla like pokémon running around with a puppy-like pokémon. A familiar armadillo pokémon quietly stared at Lawrence's direction, before turning away and slowly following after the two.

There was a strange, insect/crab-like pokémon around, its huge shell resembling a cutaway block of sediment with multiple layers and strata visible. It seemed to be greeting and talking with the other pokémon in its path.

The fairy's analysis was interrupted by the footsteps of the small rodent behind him, the much less oppressive breeze making her fur move along with it, and the sun only making her colors shine brighter.

The two smiled at each other, and just when they opened their mouths to chat, a loud, awkward growling could be heard, straight from Lawrence's belly. Pichu giggled merrily, but politely, while Lawrence did so awkwardly.

Again, just as they were to comment on the comic sight, almost on cue, Pichu's belly did the same, growling and begging for food loudly. Now, the roles were reversed, and Lawrence laughed politely, while Pichu blushed and frowned.

"I guess time really flew by!" Lawrence spoke, still smiling.

"Yes… I suppose I haven't eaten while we played." 'Play' was the correct word, yes? So pondered the electric rodent, silently to herself.

"Well… Since you and me are starving, why don't we go eat at miss Kommo-o's?" He asked all of a sudden, almost making Pichu jump out of her fur.

"I mean, I'm sure Mirari and miss Kommo-o would love the company! I promise I won't let her drag you into a dungeon or something." He smiled to himself "Not like she can do much in her condition anyway. But who knows what she's up to…"

Pichu was quiet, looking down and clearly not in the same playful mood as the togepi. The moment he realised this, he immediately backed away "U-Um… B-But if you prefer, you can stay here! I… Just thought you'd be lonely and all!"

Pichu, again, felt her head miss a beat from nervousness, not too unlike when Kommo-o asked her the same thing, to just spend some time in that warm residence.

Though this time, she felt like she had the courage to actually do it. She felt like she had the energy to go for it. This time… She wasn't going to be held back by fear. Pichu decided to at least try and risk herself, much like this togepi had for her.

"... Sure." Was she manage to say, despite wanting to say a lot more.

"Cool! Erm- Want me t-to go pick up your lunch in there?" Lawrence politely asked, clearly unaware of the feat he just accomplished, to pull the introverted rodent out of her comfort zone.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll go grab it and we may leave for mrs. Kommo-o's. I assume I might have to guide us." Lawrence laughed and nodded sheepishly, making the Pichu smile weakly once more.

"Ok! I'll… Just wait here!" Pichu nodded, entering her house, while the fairy stayed outside. He couldn't help but shake a bit, as a cold breeze suddenly passed by him, a strange feeling washing over him.

Little did he know, he was being closely watched by silent, emotionless eyes in the distance.

* * *

**-Mirari's House-**

Knock Knock Knock

"Miss Kommo-o? It's-" The door was slowly opened by the diminutive pokémon, only for as soon as he took his first step inside the house, he was tackled to the ground by a much bigger, more bandaged and scalier pokémon.

"Lawry! You took so loooooong! Where were ya? Did ya hurt yourself? Why are you making faces and turning blue?" Mirari questioned, her snout inches from his face, her red eyes looking at him all over, before she realised why he was trying to punch her and struggle free "Oh right!"

The togepi took long, deep breaths when the big female finally stepped back and allowed him room to stand- and more importantly, room to breathe. Literally.

"Geez. Good day to you too." He wheezed, coughing a bit "Weren't you having trouble getting up? How did you muster the energy to jump at me?" Lawrence asked, in a mix of annoyance, concern and astonishment.

"Hah! That is very simple, my fairy friend! I spent the previous three or so hours accumulating energy to pull that stunt!" Mirari proudly declared, her eyes soon spinning as she got confused "Having said that… I now have run out of energy… Because I wanted to wait for you to eat lunch…And I'm soooo hungry..."

Lawrence was about to say something, before he saw the dragon stumble and tumble, he shrieked and tried to run away only to fail, Mirari's eyes comically turning into spirals as she fainted right on top of the togepi, burying him under a heavy wall of scales.

Meanwhile Pichu was still at the door, her mouth agape in horror, staring at the fainted togepi and jangmo-o, frozen in confusion and shock, still carrying the present-wrapped plate Kommo-o sent her.

"Pichu! So good for you to join us. I assume your food must be cold. Don't worry, I'll cook you a new one." A powerful, yet gentle voice broke her from her paralysis, she still didn't found the voice to say anything, only nod weakly.

"Hiiiiii Pichuuuu!~" Came the weak, dazed voice from the Jangmo-o, her eyes still confused.

Underneath her, Pichu could her the muffled, angry screams of the fairy, most of the sound being suppressed by the shield of scales and muscle on top of him.

That was certainly a very, very strange first impression.

Mrs. Kommo-o could only laugh merrily.

* * *

**-Many hours later-**

"Bye Pichu! If you wanna come back tomorrow, I can show you my super-duper awesome drawing skills!" Mirari waved happily, while Pichu walked towards the darkening village.

"You can tell me about that egg-something book you told me! Today was fun!" Lawrence smiled and waved as well.

"Be careful on your way home, little one! You are always welcome to pass the day and stay the night." Kommo-o said, more calmly than the duo, yet as sweetly as ever.

Pichu slowly made her way out the house, smiling bashfully and waving back "Thank you for the day! Thanks for having me! Um, I could come back tomorrow, maybe!" She tried saying each sentence directed to one of the three, still not used to this at all. Yet it was undeniable that her beating heart was, for once, doing so out of joy.

That same night, Pichu remembers floating through dark, endless nothing, feeling lost in the absolute blackness of the landscape surrounding her. Alone, cold and forgotten. She didn't remember her dreams most of the time. And usually, these thoughts would not be alien to her, but on this specific time, she felt…

Before she could really process that, something grabbed her paw, pulling her out of that self pitying, gloomy darkness, the world around her shining with a warm, powerful and comforting light. Much like the sun after the sandstorm went away.

That night, Pichu slept well, and felt... Happy.


	6. A Storm Approaches

" _[...]And with the relic held high, the hero declared their triumph. With many cheers, tears of joy and cries of relief, all pokémon of the sand rejoiced, for the hero of the sword had vanquished the enemy, and ended the darkest hour."_

_-The Odyssey of the Sword and Shield, author unknown._

* * *

"Twenty-two… Twenty-four… Thirty! T-There." Came the young, jovial voice belonging to a togepi, handing over what appeared to be coins.

"Thank you for your patronage, my young pokémon!" a cheerful, energetic Chameleon-like pokémon smiled, taking the small gold pieces, and trading for a bag filled with surprisingly light items.

"T-Thanks, mister Kecleon!" came the reply of the small fairy. He seemed to be wearing nothing but a silver necklace, with a silver, ornamented pendant jiggling along, clearly adapted to fit the little pokémon's physiognomy. "How do you and your brother always get such fresh apples, y'know, in the middle of the desert?"

The green pokémon laughed merrily, his long tongue wiping out of his snout for a moment. "Hohoho… It's a secret of the craft, my boy! Sadly, I can't go sharing it around!" He winked to Lawrence. "That locket you wear has always caught my eye! I envy the mawalian paws that had the skill to create such a masterpiece!"

"Y-Yeah… It is pretty beautiful, I suppose." He said, feeling a bit gloomy when he remembered how exactly he acquired it.

"I'd be more than happy to buy it, should you ever want to part ways with it!~" The kecleon chuckled, in his ever so pleasant bussinessmon's tone. "I wonder, how have you acquired it? A mawalian heirloom?"

Lawrence just smiled weakly, shaking his little head "I'm good. But thanks for the offer!" his smile got a little bit bigger. "And hey… T-That's a secret! Can't go around sharing it!" he mimicked the kecleon playfully, making the normal type laugh again, amused.

"Hohoho! Ah, if only all the children were as nice and entertaining as you, Togepi. So very few children and even adults stop to have an actual conversation." Kecleon kept smiling, his tongue usually out of his mouth, somehow not impeding his speech. "Jangmo-o was quite the character too. I do hope her recovery is going well!"

The fairy nods "Oh, she's much better now! It has been a while since we got hurt… in that sandstorm." he said, omitting most of the details about the injuries. "I just insisted on doing her chores until she's back 100%. I'll tell her you've sent your regards!"

With a smile and a wave, the small togepi made his way back to the hut he now knew so well.

* * *

**Chapter VI: A Storm Approaches**

**-Mirari's House-**

"Miss Kommo-o? Mirari?" Lawrence said as he slowly opened the door, peeking around the mostly empty house.

Thinking it was safe to enter, he quietly stepped inside, still looking around with immense caution, carrying the items with care, being sure not to make any noise for some reason.

After a little while, he sighed in relief. Dropping the items on the ground, closing his eyes and feeling his heart calm down.

Just as he was about to go to Mirari's room, he suddenly felt something shoving him against the floor, making him fall face first into the ground and groan, surprisingly not hurt, but clearly subdued, his pendant making a metallic sound as it banged against the hard floor.

"...Aaaaand that's another win for Mirari, the elusive shadow!" a jangmo-o said triumphantly, lifting her head and closing her eyes in pride, with a mischievous smirk.

"Yeah, yeah… W-Whatever…" Lawrence muttered, rolling his eyes, unamused. "What does that make? 4-1?"

"Something like that! I haven't been counting, all I care is that I'm winning!" She giggled, still standing on top of him.

"W-Well. At least you're not choking me anymore…" he sighed, closing his eyes. "What was the bet again? If you got t-this one, you'd make me sing or something?"

"Uh-huh! I mean, it was more along the lines of 'do something embarrassing', but I guess singing works! And it might help with that stutter of yours!" Mirari smiled, still unawaringly subduing the smaller pokémon, while casually chatting with him.

"W-Well…?" He stared at her, with a serious expression, receiving only an oblivious, innocent stare back, the togepi rolled his eyes once more, and begun struggling. "Get off me! You've already won!"

She jumped a bit at his sudden shift to annoyance, realising her mistake and carefully stepping away. "Erm… Sorry… Didn't mean to upset you." she blushed slightly, laughing sheepishly. "I didn't mean to stay that long! I sometimes forget you're like, ten times smaller than me!"

"I'm not that small!" Lawrence looks away, still somewhat irritated. "...And I'm not pissed at you…" he sighs, trying to hide his feelings.

"...It's mostly at me, for being so puny and pathetic…" he muttered, not being completely honest- since the boastful and somewhat selfish actions of the dragon did irritate him from time to time, but he refused to say something so hurtful.

Mirari just kept giving him that weak smile "Hey, don't beat yourself over it! Just because you're not used to battles yet, doesn't mean you're completely hopeless! I'm just better! You'll learn eventually!" she tried to cheer him, only managing to sting his small, almost non existent ego even more.

"I'm just happy you're feeling energetic enough to start playing again. Your head scale even grew back!" he pointed out, staring at the female dragon's quadruped body, now all of her scales had grown back as shiny and tough as ever, there seemed to be no scars and no leftovers from the fierce battle they had. Even the heart shaped scale on her head had fully healed at this point. Her energy and playfulness seemed to be back tenfold.

"Thanks! I really wanna make up for all the lost time with you! So many things we have to do! We can run laps across the oasis, see who can hold their breath longer underwater, train under the sun, punch rocks, climb dunes, see who can get more water to the house from the well in less time!..." Lawrence knew she could go on forever, so he'd better step in and stop her before she went on for an entire hour with ideas for their little 'activities'.

"Geez… Not everything has to be a competition or training, you know! Your mother's training is tough enough." He interrupted. "I really enjoyed when we just layed in bed and just read books together. Or when we decided to write a story, randomly choosing who'd write what!"

She couldn't help but giggle. "That story sucked though! Mostly because you kept changing the focus of it!"

"Not my fault if you wanted to write some weird story about a superhero when I wanted a murder mystery!" he pointed out, clearly with a hint of playfulness to the fond memory.

"Nu-uh! He wasn't 'super', he was just a 'hero'!" She then thought about it for a moment. "Unless you mean 'super cool', then he clearly was!"

"Are you sure you weren't inspiring them around yourself? Even a little?" Lawrence would be lifting an eyebrow, if he had one.

"Nuh-uh. He was completely original!"

"Oh really? What was their name again?"

"You forgot!?" She seemed to almost jump from surprise. "He was called Iramir, the courageous gabite!"

He stared at her in exasperation as Mirari proudly declared her creation's name, keeping himself quiet.

"...In any case," he shook his head with another expressive exhale. "I suppose I-I should tell miss Kommo-o I got the supplies."

"Oh! Sure! Mama's in her room!" Mirari pointed towards the only other place in the hut. One being their shared room, while this was the kitchen/living room area, the only door leading outside. Lawrence couldn't help but ponder how strangely small and simple this three room house was, compared to human ones at least.

"She also did mention something about continuing your training. Maybe she'll finally let me join!" Mirari seemed to wag her tail slightly at the thought of training together.

"Ah. Okay, I'll go talk her." Lawrence seemed much less enthusiastic. Miss Kommo-o just started showing him a few things, really. Ever since that sandstorm incident, Mirari's mother insisted on at least helping the togepi understand the basics. It did help clarify a few things, especially his ever so terrible control over this body's 'powers'.

Lawrence made his way towards the adult's room, peeking through the open space, where it should have a door, he questioned "U-Um… M-Miss Kommo-o?"

He saw the big scaly sitting alone in her room, who seemed as spartan as the rest of the hut, having only a bed, a few neatly placed books and scrolls, and some shelves. She was sitting in front of a large map, covering the wall in front of her, apparently with notes scattered all over it. The dragon type seemed very focused, writing vigorously.

"Yeah she can be like that sometimes…" Mirari suddenly blurted, almost making the togepi jump, her head poking right beside his.

"She's been like this ever since you got here. When she's not cooking or training, she's… Doing that." The smaller dragon added with a hint of sorrow.

Before Lawrence could say something, Mirari's mood seemed to shift all of a sudden, from quiet sadness to- "HEY MAMA! LAWRENCE IS BACK!"

That sudden loud noise made the fairy type jump and fall on the floor, and even seemed to surprise the larger dragon, whom seemed slightly startled, looking unamusedly at her daughter and the fallen togepi.

"...Thank you, little one." Kommo-o sighs, setting aside what she was writing.

"I-I got the i-items, miss!" Lawrence gulps, trying to recompose himself.

"Very good. Thank you, Lawrence," she sighs rubbing her weary eyes with her mighty armored claws. "With those supplies out of the way, we're almost all set."

"All set for _what_? You haven't told us anything, mom!" Mirari whines, irritated at the lack of transparency.

"In due time, little one," the adult gets up, slowly making her way to the children, "for now, we must resume your training, little fairy."

"Awww… Ok, I guess…"

"C'mon! Where's your energy? I wish she'd be this eager to train _me_!" Mirari nudged the smaller pokémon as if to cheer him up.

"Yaaaay. Ok, I guess!"

"That's more like it!" Mirari happily chimed.

Kommo-o and Lawrence merely sweatdropped at the little dragon. Though the adult was quicker to recompose herself and carry on. "Today, we shall focus on your energy manipulation. It's still inconsistent and shambolic."

"Who even uses the word 'shambolic'...?" Lawrence was sure he heard Mirari mumble, looking away from them.

Seemingly unfazed by her daughter's words, if she even heard them, Kommo-o walked past the two and led them outside.

* * *

**-Outskirts of the village-**

"So, you won't take your pendant off this time?" Came the powerful voice of the adult female, as they slowly made their way towards their training spot.

"Um… I actually forgot to ask, miss. I'm sorry." Lawrence replied, gulping and taking the beautiful little locket in his tiny stubby hands. "I just have such a hard t-time doing it alone, those little arms are annoying to have!" He proceeded to demonstrate this by pitifully trying to remove the necklace, his hands being unable to reach the back of his head.

"Do not worry, little one. This session we won't get… physical, so I don't really see the removal as a necessity this time around."

"Thanks… I'll try to remember asking for your help next time." He let go of the locket, looking up at the much taller pokémon.

"Besides, it would be a waste of time for us to return all the way back for such a trivial thing."

"Well, I could wear it! I bet it would look great on me!" Mirari suddenly butted in between the two, like she often did.

"Why didn't we leave you in the house? I was starting to enjoy the silence these walks with miss Kommo-o provide." Lawrence rebutted with a clear hint of playfulness.

"Oh shush! I bet every time she took you away to play, you kept thinking of how much ya missed me!"

"Making a lot of assumptions there, Mirari." The togepi rolled his eyes.

"Am not!" She definitely answered, staring at him sharply.

"You are!"

"Am not!"

"You are!"

"Just a reminder, sweetie:" the usually quiet female interrupted, knowing her daughter, this could go on for a while. "We're not playing. I'm teaching him the basics of battling."

"Sounds like fun to me! When is my turn?" She seemed to abandon the previous argument as she stared into her mother.

"Lawrence's the priority, sweetie. He needs it more than you do." She readily replied, the jangmo-o lowered her head and mumbled something Lawrence couldn't hear, yet he could feel a spiteful feeling suddenly appearing on Mirari's usually positive and upbeat demeanor.

"T-There. This is the place, right?" The togepi declared, hopefully breaking the small dragon away from whatever negative train of thought she was in.

The scaly pokémon nodded as she stared into the little oasis they found themselves in, a miraculous sight to people lost in the desert, Lawrence thought. A lake surrounded by beautiful trees, just hanging in the middle of a sea of sand and heat.

"Wow! It's been so little time, but this place already brings me back memories!" Mirari seemed back to her cheerful spirits, looking around with a huge smile in her snout. "Oh! C'mon Lawry, race ya to the crater where we met!"

"'L-Lawry'...? Don't-" The togepi tried to speak, before the jangmo-o ran full speed towards the endless horizon of sand and dunes, kicking a large cloud of sand that easily covered him.

He coughed, closing his eyes, desperately trying to stop her, only to feel tough claws touching his shoulder. "Let her. She'll be at it for a while. Perhaps that's the cue for us to start."

After coughing and wiping the sand away from him, he looked at Kommo-o with a worried expression. "B-But… She's all al-alone…"

Usually, the kommo-o was stoic and he could barely detect any emotion by staring at her scaly face alone, her light brown eyes always wandering away, as if she was always on the lookout for something.

But this time, she stared down at him with a genuine, if a bit unnerving, but still very sincere smile. "Not to worry. As her mother, I'm always watching over her. She will be fine."

Her powerful and confident tone put the togepi's heart at ease. He merely nodded, the scaly pokémon then walked away from him, standing right in front of the togepi, in their usual training positions.

"Fairy types are known for being empaths," her voice boomed, Kommo-o putting one of her claws closed into a fist in front of her, with the other close behind, standing upright from her usual leaning position, "that is, pokémon whom have an extraordinary ability to sense others' feelings and emotions."

She took a deep breath, a royal blue aura covering her. Lawrence could hear she was faintly snarling, the feral sound sending shivers down his spine. The aura around her licked her scales like small flames, her muscles and veins bulging slightly.

"As a togepi, you are particularly sensitive to others' feelings," she kept saying, reminding him of a teacher, while her tone was wise and calm, her speech was being complimented with a few growls and snarls, "I assume you must have felt like you could understand and empathize with other pokémon more easily? Perhaps you felt what they felt without realizing how?"

Lawrence shivered some more, gulping and remembering the times in which that could have applied, surprised at the many examples he could recall, from how he knew how Pichu was feeling when he was stuck in her house, to then multiple times he could read Mirari's feelings (not that it was that hard to tell, anyway).

"Good! I can see you've understood what I meant!" She growled one last time, opening her arms wide, and sending a controlled shockwave around her, shooting sand in the area surrounding her.

Lawrence covered his eyes, and when the sand lowered, he froze in fear when he saw the adult. Her royal blue aura was burning slowly around her, like a flame. Her brown eyes were shining slightly, and she seemed to be panting, showing off her razor-sharp teeth. Her scales faintly clinging, the wind seeming to almost be influenced by that amazing display of power.

"Now tell me… Little togepi." She put one foot forward, growling threateningly as she slowly walked towards him, loudly thumping against the sand, her tail slapping the ground as well, making his heart skip a beat, and his fearful shivering to increase. "Tell me… What am I feeling?"

He froze once more, his mind so clouded with fear and bewilderment he barely had time to process that. Her authoritative gaze snapping him out of it. She took another step, and yet again, his motivation seemed to sink back down.

"Answer at once!" Her voice seemed only to get louder and more intimidating. "Inaction can be fatal in both a conversation, and a battle!" Her growls only grew the closer she got. Now about two steps away from reaching him.

"I-I-I-"-He gulped, closing his eyes shut, trying his best to focus, unsure exactly how or what he was supposed to do, he tried centering an imaginary line on the pokémon in front of him, his heart threatening to jump out of his chest. He absolutely couldn't get even a hint of what exactly she was feeling- Anger? Rage? Disappointment? Murderous intent?

"You what!?" She took another loud, scary step. "I can't hear you!"

He was sweating uncontrollably from pure nervousness, his hands shaking, his eyes tightening even more, his voice completely gone. Until he heard another step, the faint and omnoius clanging of scales hauting him as he now felt the shadow of the huge dragon completely covering him, his instinctive fear skyrocketing.

"I-I… Y-You…" He couldn't get his tongue to work, resisting the urge to curl around in a ball, he suddenly felt something… He felt a sudden surge of courage burning inside his scared heart.

The kommo-o stopped a moment, tilting her head in confusion. Suddenly she saw a pure white aura covering the togepi, he raised his arms to the sky, charging a small energy sphere made of pure white light, she then noticed his locket was flashing the same radiance, turning the small sphere into a medium sized one. "Y-You… Y-You're scaring m-me! S-Stop!"

He then swings his hands down, firing the energy sphere at Kommo-o, his eyes still closed. She opened her mouth in surprise, taking a single step back and deftly slapping the orb with her right arm using her armor like scale to easily do so. The sphere flew to the side, harmlessly colliding with the ground, exploding in mix of glitter like shine and sand.

When the togepi opened his eyes, he was no longer covered in that gleam, and was no longer trembling uncontrollably. He had a single stray tear of fear in his left eye, he gulped when he realized what he did, taking a step back and raising his hands defensively. "I-I'm s-so s-s-s-sorry miss! I-I d-didn't-" he stuttered uncontrollably in a mixture of shame, fear and worry, only to be interrupted by the adult, whom reassuringly touched his head.

"It is fine, little one. You did nothing wrong." She revealed her face, showing a proud smile to the small pokémon. "You passed the test with flying colors."

As she saw the poor, helpless togepi's confusion, Kommo-o decided to elaborate. "I was trying to see how you'd react under extreme pressure. I pretty much gave you an impossible task." She couldn't help but chuckle.

"W-What…?" Was all he managed to blurt out, looking apprehensive and confused at the adult's sudden shift in demeanor.

"You see, fairies are very dependant on their feelings and emotions, as I said before," she dusted off some stray sand that had clung to her body. Lawrence thought she looked cool doing it, "and I asked you to try and use your fairy powers whilst not only making sure your emotions were unbalanced by intimidating you, but also trying to mask and fake what I was really feeling."

Lawrence finally seemed to be catching on, nodding and calming down at long last. "I-I get it… You wanted to see what exactly I would do in a seemingly impossible scenario…"

"Pokémon show who they truly are under those circumstances." Lawrence saw her royal aura fully disappearing, leaving her looking exhausted. "I'm impressed by what I saw. That was a very strange use of Magical Shine, but it sure caught me off guard for a second."

"T-Thanks, I guess…" He gulped, looking over her. "Are you ok…? D-Did I do that to you, miss…?" He worriedly ask, his voice dripping with concern and guilt.

She smiles sweetly at him, shaking her head. "Of course not, little one. I'm merely spent over using that technique, Soul Beat, or Clangorous Soul, whichever you prefer."

He could tell she was only tired, her feelings were calm, with a hint of curiosity (probably at his earlier stunt), though he could sense… Worry? "Miss Kommo-o… are you afraid of something?"

She looked intrigued by the question. Before smiling down at him with one eye closed. "Ah. Told you, it's instinctual. You'll get the hang of it in no time. Though be weary, more experienced pokémon like me can create barriers to prevent an empath's meddling if they really want to."

He noticed she was trying to avoid the question, but before he could inquire further, she interrupted him once more.

Kommo-o takes a deep exhale, closing her eyes, trying to catch her breath. "As for all that drama with Soul Beat, I had to do it to feign a real threat to you, and keep up the 'angry' act."

The togepi nods, having an idea. He approaches Kommo-o, putting his little hands on one of her large, armored legs, closing his eyes and channeling Life Dew, the aqua blue light covering himself and her.

She allowed him to finish, again putting one hand in his head, sighing as the effect of the move refreshed her. "It takes way more than that to fully heal an adult like me. But thank you, little one."

"It's the least I can do." He smiled weakly.

Kommo-o nodded, shaking her body a little. "Your control is getting better. You must find what emotions, thoughts or feelings help fuel your moves, and start to harness them without much thought." She then pointed with one large claw to his necklace. "It seems that this little locket is more than just a pretty bauble, as I suspected."

Lawrence tilted his head. "Huh? The pendant reacted somehow? And you knew it would?"

"Indeed. It has boosted your desperate attack, for some reason. Ever since I touched this locket, I have felt a strong energy from within. Positive energy." She crossed her arms. "Much like yourself, this object seems to have secret powers hidden within."

"Like myself…? Powers hidden…? I d-don't understand… How much have you not told me, miss Kommo-o?" Lawrence seemed more and more frustrated with her, but mostly at not getting exactly what was happening.

"I'll explain it all in time, little one. Sometimes ignorance is a ble-" -she immediately stopped her sentence, her head snapping in another direction, as if she heard a loud noise somewhere, her eyes widening- "-Lawrence, run back to the village. Hurry!"

The togepi was taken back again. "W-Wha-"

"This is not a test, just go!" She growled, the royal blue aura returning to her in full strength, burning even brighter than before, further tiring the adults body.

"B-But M-Mirari…!"

"I'll worry about that! Run back to the village and don't leave. **GO!** " She commanded, snarling and dashing towards the horizon. The sheer force of the running sending the togepi flying back, falling on his rump. Stunned, confused and scared, he could only look to the royal blue flash sprinting through the desert.

* * *

**-Western Ghobi Desert-**

"Oh boy… I sure hope I didn't left him behind on accident…"

A lonesome, confused jangmo-o muttered to herself, looking around as she walked aimlessly.

"Mama's gonna chew me if she finds out I lost Lawrence on accident…" She laughed nervously to herself. "Note to self: Next time, look behind to make sure that small fairy friend is tagging along. Or just carry him again. Whatever works!"

Despite her high spirits, Mirari was clearly lost looking for Lawrence, wandering aimlessly through the desert, probably also lost herself, though she refused to admit it.

"Lawrence! Lawry! Laurie!" She screamed, gulping as worry overtook her.

The area around her was scarily barren, everything looked the same, just sand and dunes everywhere, no oasis nor settlement nor caves anywhere in sight. Just sand and sun.

" _Oh… Please be ok! I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"_ She thought to herself, looking down, closing her eyes, trying to focus, sniffing the air, trying to find something, anything.

And just as she was completely lost to her tracking, she yelped, butting her head in something… Or more precisely, someone.

"Ouch! Sorry!" She shook her head, rubbing her snout. "I didn't see you there! Couldn't tell your scent too… My nose must be stuffy!"

In front of her stood a tall, biped figure, covered in a dark cloak, not a single shred of skin, scale or fur appearing. The one thing she could see of the mysterious being was their shiny red eyes, their face was otherwise completely covered under the shadows of the hood.

"Hello! Fancy seeing you here!" She suddenly jumped from joy as her brain processed what this stranger meant. "Oh! You must be with the guild! That would explain this impractical yet surprisingly cool looking cloak you're wearing!"

The figure silently stared at her, his body like a statue, creepily tilting his head as he stared into the blabbering female. "Have you seen a small, cute and sorry-looking pokémon walking around here? He's like, a good friend and I… maybe kinda might have accidentally lost him while we played! Hahaha…"

The weird figure keeps silently staring at her still. The jangmo-o just sights and looks away. "Yeah, I know… I should have been more careful! He might be thirsty, alone and most likely crying, thus spending even more of his limited water supply!"

"..."

"I'm sure he was following me too! He wouldn't just let me go alone, he loooooves playing with me!"

"..."

"You know, I've always wondered why the other kids avoid me. I kinda blame my mama for that, she's so protective and overbearing, sometimes I feel like she's choking me! She refuses to let me go to school, and always tries to keep me home. It's infuriating! She also refuses to let me go explore and forbids me from ever leaving the village!" Mirari looked down sadly, the figure only kept staring.

"Have you had that problem? Like, dreaming of wanting to be someone. Dreaming of not being just an average pokémon who'll be forgotten as soon as you're gone?"

"..."

"Of course, I can't talk about those things with Lawrence- That's the friend I'm looking for- Because he might think I'm weird, and then I'll lose my… first and only friend." The jangmo-o walked in a direction whilst she contemplated things, only for the figure to almost robotically walk towards the other, always remaining exactly the opposite of her.

"..."

"Oh, sorry if I'm just throwing random stuff at you. I dunno, being alone for the first time in four days just made me… think about stuff. I'm terrible at keeping things to myself, see! You seemed like a nice enough pokémon."

The shape tilted his head to the other side, just as creepily.

"Thanks for the nice talk! I gotta go find my friend. Good luck on whatever you're doing, mister explorer!" She chirps happily, not even a hint of sarcasm in her voice, turning around to resume her search.

Though she stopped and turned around when she heard movement. Her eyes widened as she saw the shape offering their hand, still completely covered by the rather oversized sleeve of the black cloak, though in between their three fingers, a shining grey and gold scale could be seen.

"Oh! Is that mine? Where'd you get it?" Mirari smiled, picking it up like it was no big deal. "Maybe you went to little sandrop cave? I must have dropped there! Thanks!"

The oblivious dragon held the little scale in between her claws, examining it with her scarlet eyes, lifting it up towards the sky, watching as it shone. Having her back turned to the stranger, she couldn't really see as they slowly approached her, their hand leaving the sleeve, revealing a thin furred purple frame, with three digits… Shining an eerie dark purple glow, closing in on the dragon from behind.

She turned around at the last second, seeing it mere inches from her face, eyes widening, mouth opening for a scream that never came.

* * *

**-Oasis village-**

"C'mon… Where are you?… Where are you?…" Came the faint whispers of a very worried, small fairy type.

He was walking around uncontrollably, staring at the scorching sun above, gulping and shaking. Still unsure of what exactly happened, his heart beating as he thought of Mirari.

"Did she put herself in trouble again…? Maybe something happened…? But what…!?" Lawrence put two of his little hands on his head, trying and failing miserably to calm himself down.

While he kept thinking about all the terrible things that could have happened (or that will happen), the togepi failed to notice someone approaching from behind.

He suddenly felt a furry, yellow paw touching his shoulder, making him jump back in fright, opening his mouth to scream, but stopping at the last second as he saw a confused and concerned Pichu staring back at him.

"Um… Lawrence, is everything alright?" She had her little paws reassuringly raised.

"P-Pichu! Miss Kommo-o, me and Mirari were t-training in t-the desert when she s-suddenly left in a hurry!"

"Really? And where is Mirari?" The rodent stepped closer, he could feel she was somewhat scared too, but mostly concerned.

"S-She ran off! Miss Kommo-o said we should l-let her play while we trained a-and… and suddenly, after we were done, s-she just ran off and told me to w-wait here!..." Lawrence recollected, desperate and stumbling on his words.

"Calm down, it's gonna be ok!" She again touched his shoulder with one paw, looking around her nervously. "Erm. Let's go to Mrs. Kommo-o's home. It's nearby. There you can relax and tell me what exactly happened."

The togepi merely nodded, following her. Pichu blushed madly, now holding his little hand with her paw and leading him to the stone hut.

* * *

**-Western Ghobi Desert-**

Opening her previously closed shut eyes, her heart skipped a beat. That scary hand was mere inches from her face, almost touching it with that glowing energy.

On the cloaked figures' side though, a very tall, very angry Kommo-o stood, holding their arm with one of her clawed hands, the other tightly closed into a fist. Her royal blue aura firing up as her anger only grew.

The figure's arm was shaking, as they tried to overpower the dragon, being unable to break her steel grip. They quickly moved his other hand, channeling a ball made of pure black energy, aiming at the female adult, only to be met with a insanely quick blow to the face, sending him staggering back.

She growled, still keeping her momentum, the adult let go of his arm, landing another two precise and vicious blows on their chest. Pushing them behind some more. And more. And when she was certain they were far enough for her to step in between them and her daughter, she did. Each movement earning the fierce melody of her clinging scales, in a deadly and vicious dance.

Finally, Kommo-o ended her flurry of blows on the cloaked pokémon by drawing both of her clawed hands back, gathering her energy. Her aura burned even more intensely around her. She proceeded to touch the bottom of her palms together in a quick, loud slap, her scales clinging louder, a large blue sphere forming in between her hands.

"Begone! Wave Bomb!" She hissed as the ball grew larger, shooting it right at the pokémon's chest, the recoil making Kommo-o's arms shoot up in the air whilst sending the figure flying back to a dune nearby.

Even as they were viciously assaulted by a fast paced, bone crushing barrage of punches and that powerful aura sphere, the pokémon didn't utter a single noise or acknowledgement of pain. The little jangmo-o couldn't help but shiver in fear.

"What are you doing!? Stop staring and get out of here!" She snarled, Mirari jumped and lowered her tail and head meekly.

"B-But Lawrence-"

"He's back in the village! Run there and don't you **dream** of leaving!" The dragon/fighting type stared at the dune where the pokémon flew, her guard up.

"B-But m-mama-" The little dragon tried to argue back, only to be silenced by a serious look from the bigger pokémon, making her whimper and have to turn around to flee towards the town. Those eyes making Mirari want to sob.

" _I'm sorry, little one. I know you don't react well to tough love."_ She sighed, calming herself whilst grimacing.

" _I only managed to push him back again thanks to surprise and speed, not power."_ Her aura flared back up, whilst she grunted and growling to herself. _"And soon, I fear power will catch up to me. And I'd rather have you be safe when that comes, even if you despise me for it."_

" _He is only getting bolder and bolder too. To think he would make contact with her at this time, so close to the village…"_ Kommo-o cursed her lack of care silently, never would she have even thought of bringing the children outside had she known the figure would break the pattern, and risk themself like that.

Then out of nowhere, a gleam of purple light left the dune, soon followed by another, and another. Until the large formation of sand exploded, showering the area in sand, making the Kommo-o cover her eyes for a moment.

As the sand stopped falling, a lone, tall dark cloaked figure was revealed in the middle of the blast, still remaining creepily stiff and minimalistic in movement or expression. His hood was down, revealing his glowing eyes behind the red lenses of the black, demonic mask. His very thin purple fur appearing somewhat.

"Come on, monster. See if you can keep up this time!" She snarled once more, charging two small spheres in each hand, tossing them at the creature, who reflected both with a simple wave of their hand. A large cloud of smoke and sand obscuring his view when the deflected spheres hit the ground.

When the cloud dissipated, the dragon was nowhere to be seen. With yet another bizarre head tilt, the shape soon teleported away.

* * *

**-Mirari's house-**

"And t-that's pretty much it…" Lawrence looked down, sitting on the large nest-like bed he came to like so much. Probably the pokémon in him talking, but he didn't care. He seemed to be carrying a simple cup, with a colorful liquid inside.

"That was rough." Pichu solemnly nodded, after hearing the tale of what happened in the desert moments ago. "But there was nothing you could do. Mrs. Kommo-o is capable, she knows what she's doing."

"I understand… But I feel useless. I-I… wanted to help, but I was too s-scared to even think about that…" He kept staring down in shame. "To be honest, all I wanted was to leave and let her worry about Mirari… But I know that's wrong..."

He takes another sip of the drink, his expression still neutral, though he forced a smile. "This is really good, by the way."

"Thank you. I learned from mrs. Kommo, since she said Mirari doesn't like cooking." Pichu smiled back at the togepi.

Then her expression became a bit more serious. "There's nothing wrong about being afraid, Lawrence. You're weak, mrs. Kommo-o is strong. Let her handle things and just… stay back."

He felt his heart tighten around his chest, a feeling of dread washing over him. "... I guess you're right… But I don't like being weak… I don't like being so helpless and..." ' _Cowardly...'_

"You said yourself when we met: we're just kids, Lawrence." Pichu tried to console him. "You gotta let the adults solve things. It is how it is."

He merely put his hands in his face, deep in thought, his pendant softly moving like a very slow pendulum.

Detecting the gloom that was overtaking the fairy type, Pichu decided to move the conversation forward.

"That is a beautiful locket, by the way." She looked at it intently. "I never saw you using it. Where did you get it?"

Lawrence locked up, setting the cup down, suddenly feeling another sting in his heart as he remembered that… Peculiar situation in his first ever day in this world.

_He could see flashes of those crystals, plastered all over the dungeon. Those mirrors reflecting the worst in him. A shape lurking inside those magenta, mirror like stones. A feeling of dread washing over him the more time went on, like if a thousand eyes were staring at him, whispering promises, secrets, offering salvation, controlling him._

_Waiting for him._

He suddenly jumped when he saw Pichu's face inchest from his, slapping her paws close to where his ears should be, making the little male jump back a bit. "Hey! You ok? You scared me! You weren't even blinking... What happened? You just spaced out! Then..."

The togepi shook his head, trying to get his feet back on the ground, a headache overtaking him. His breath becoming louder and chaotic. As he threatened to space out again, he could see a warm light radiating out of the pendant he wore. The clear, bright light washing away the darkness that attempted to lure him to more 'memories'. "Then… That happened!" Muttered Pichu, pointing at the beautiful ornamented globe on his neck.

Feeling his heart beat normally again, his mind stop racing and falling apart, he found energy to finally speak. "I… I was given this by a pokémon. When me and Mirari entered a cave, in the day we met." Pichu tilted her head, confused, but very intrigued.

Lawrence continued, clutching the pendant. "He was alone, lost and bitter. He… He couldn't dispel the darkness within himself. So he chose to give it to me… Maybe so that I would never end up like him…" Lawrence himself had no idea where all that came from, thanks to his limited interactions with Sableye. Yet, it all felt so genuine and natural… Like ideas he had known for a long time, but never realized. He admitted that it all sounded far too corny for him, yet it was the best way he could phrase what he felt, and honestly, he didn't care for now. Almost as if he was on autopilot.

Remembering what happened to the ghost and dark type almost bought a tear to his eye, remembering what he'd done to him… Yet for some reason, he tried to avoid recalling what happened. Perhaps he was cold and didn't care, perhaps he was stupid and didn't' know, perhaps he was in denial, and didn't want to know. "H-He… He's gone. And I didn't have the decency of shedding a tear for him until now…"

Then as he was sobbing, he felt tiny arms wrap around him, looking to see Pichu touching her forehead against his, small bolts of electricity leaving her cheeks. "I… Don't really get what happened, but all I can say is that if that pokémon really saved you, then it was for a reason. In my culture here in this village, I learned to honor the dead not by crying, but through actual actions. They wouldn't want you in tears, but… Trying to be the best pokémon you could be. I think that would make them happy!"

Pichu smiled, pulling away from the hug with her cheeks even brighter than what they already were. "You should try talking to Jangmo-o too! I you two are quite close, and she went through the same as you, no?"

Feeling the female's sincere and innocent attempt to lift his spirits surprisingly made him more energetic and less gloomy. "T-Thanks, Pichu. I needed that…"

The male fairy then sighs and looks down again. "But I can't tell Mirari that. She might not be going through the same as me. She'll just laugh and say I should get over it or something. She'll think I'm stupid…"

Pichu frowned, she really had no idea how to tackle a topic involving the strange Jangmo-o. "Well, if it's any help… we could go see elder Crustle tomorrow. Maybe he can give you some answers regarding that locket."

Lawrence smiled again back at the electric rodent, nodding. Picking up the cub and taking another sip of the tasty juice inside. "Thanks… I guess that would be really nice." He would certainly feel less lost, alone and confused if he understood a tiny bit of all the wacky, fantasy stuff that was happening to him.

"Then tomorrow we'll-" Pichu continued, only to be interrupted by a loud bang at the door, seeing a very tired, very sad and very shaken jangmo-o appear.

"Mirari!" Lawrence immediately got up, looking straight at her.

"Lawry!" Mirari screamed, her eyes tearing up.

Before he could say anything more, the togepi was tackled to the ground, thankfully falling on their shared bed, his cup flying away comically, the female dragon's face nuzzling and rubbing against his.

"You're ok! Thank the deities above! I was SO WORRIED!" She sniffles, Lawrence being stunned, only managing to pet her scaly, tough hide in response. His heart being invaded with a bomb of good and bad emotions, probably from the dragon. "Where were you? I looked for you everywhere!"

"Huh? I was training with miss Kommo-o! You just ran off!"

"Wait… you didn't follow me?" She pulled away, now her face in front of his, her breath hitting his face. "I was so worried thinking I lost you! How could you!?"

"W-What do you mean? W-Why would I have followed you? Are you nuts?" Lawrence struggled to get free, though like always, her grip was too much.

"To play, duh! Seriously, how could you leave me running all alone? What are friends for?"

"Hey…?" Came a third, meeker voice.

"Your mother herself said I was to train! You expected me to just ditch her for a pointless race I had no chance of winning?"

"And you expected me to just sit around doing nothing and watch you have all the fun with mom?"

"First: Training isn't fun. It's an obligation I-I have if I don't wanna die in those creepy c-caves. Second: You agreed to go and watch! S-So of course I thought you'd be okay with not jumping around for 5 minutes! And get off me already, y-you know I hate when you constrict me like this!" The togepi struggled, while the jangmo-o remained steadfast.

"Guys?" The third voice tried to interrupt, only to be ignored again.

"First: Of course training is fun! It's what we pokémon do… fight and get stronger! Second: I agreed to go spend time with my **friend**. And friends don't have all the fun alone! You know how much I wanted to play with you after spending so much time healing! And third: This is a hug, you dummy! I'm not a serperior to constrict you!"

"I told you already, I don't like fighting because I'm not a-"

"GUYS!?" As the squeaky, girly voice suddenly shrieked, the two stopped their bickering, looking at a drenched, very sorry-looking Pichu, with a cup stuck in one of her ears, juice flowing through her yellow and black fur.

The duo just stared at her, silently. Before looking at each other and giggling at the sudden, comical scene.

"Oh, ha-hah. Yeah, laugh at the least fortunate, you shaytan-spawn! Keep laughing…" She crossed her arms, frowing at the duo.

"Little do you two know, you'll be the ones cleaning me, and the mess on the floor!" She smirked, the duo stopping their laughing and looking at each other nervously, before seeing the colorful, large puddle on the ground, and drenching the pichu.


	7. Introspection

" _Increase the number of requests in the board (the apprentices keep complaining about the lack of variety), help Mienshao with managing the paperwork (like always), get in contact with nearby teams (if any), finish assignment with the expedition society (Dedenne won't shut up about it), volunteer to patrol outside the walls of the city (my feet could use the exercise!), tell Axel to stop singing at night (seriously, I'm all for experimental music, but that's just screaming. I wonder how Snow can take it?)"_

_-Sardar Cinderace of the Odyssey guild, Notes for the day._

* * *

The night was eerily quiet in the Oasis Village. No pokémon dared to leave their homes, and most merely choose to sleep it off. Paradoxically, the wind was howling loudly, drifting sand and the shining stars above being the only inhabitants of the dark and cold outside. Usually, the winds wouldn't be nearly as strong, but most pokémon already noticed the ever crazier weather.

Inside a simplistic hut in the village, three pokémon innocently unaware of the outside were all sitting on the two beds the house had. A pichu in one of them, while a jangmo-o and a togepi, both looking spent, rested in the other. They were playfully huddled together, sharing stories.

"And then, when I turned around" -the jangmo-o lifts her frontal clawed paws dramatically- "Their hand was inches from my snout, burning with a dark aura! They were ready to-"

"Ah-haI knew they were the b-bad guy!" Lawrence declares, interrupting her all of a sudden, pointing triumphantly at the dragon type pokémon.

"No you didn't! It was a surprise!" Mirari rebutted, her paws still dramatically frozen in the air.

"Yeah I d-did! Seriously, he is like, the most generic evil guy possible!" The togepi continued, pointing at the dragon. "He was giving major evil vibes since the beginning!"

"N-No he wasn't!" Mirari tried to counter. "They seemed like a perfectly fine and kind pokémon!"

"No they didn't! W-Who uses a creepy black trench coat in the middle of the d-desert!? In the DAY!?" He hurriedly said, chastising the dragon. "That is such a red flag! Why'd y-you even talk to that guy!? He d-didn't even respond!"

"I told ya already, I was looking for you! And he looked cool, so I assumed he was an explorer! I kinda felt safe around him..." The jangmo-o kept staring down at the togepi, before they could continue, a third voice spoke.

"Felt safe around a guy that's dressed l-like something you'd see out of those books we probably can't read?"

"That's… strangely specific, but at the same time not specific at all! Huh!"

"Okay, okay… What happened next?" Pichu asked, defusing the 'argument', making the two look at her. Mirari proceeds with her tale.

"Well… Mama came in the last second! And she saved me!" The dragon makes an exaggerated movement with her claws, before dropping them with a smile.

"That's a relief but… What that strange pokémon wanted with you, after all?" Pichu couldn't help but ponder.

"And where is miss Kommo-o anyway? S-She hasn't returned yet…!" Lawrence gulped at the thought of something bad happening to their only guardian.

"I'm sure she's okay! Mama is very strong!" Mirari nodded, always with her positive smile. "And about that pokémon… I honestly dunno! Maybe he was just a bully that wanted to pick on me or something!"

"That's… Not a very compelling motive." The togepi said, unimpressed.

"But it is a valid one." Pichu retorted, shrugging.

"U-Ugh… Just thinking about it gives me the creeps!" The togepi closes his eyes and hugs his little shell armor, shivering a little, "I don't know what's worse! Him having a bad reason for attacking Mirari, or none at all!"

Mirari answers the male's worries with a dismissive yawn, stretching her scalie body a bit, "Well. It doesn't really matter now. Mama's gonna take care of that." The female jangmo-o shakes her head, her eyes half closed, "Uf, after that mess, I feel like I could sleep forever…"

Pichu mimics the dragon's actions, yawning cutely herself, putting her little paw on her mouth, "Hm… It is getting quite late. I should go home…"

"You could stay here. Walking to your house at this hour must be a p-pain!" Lawrence invites her with a smile.

"That's a wonderful idea, Lawry! Then tomorrow we can play right away, Pichu!" Mirari grins and nods, thinking of fun post wake up activities.

"I don't really have class, so I guess it's alright…" She gulps and looks away, somewhat embarrassed, "there are only two beds, though. I prefer not to be a bother…"

"Oh, don't worry! I can sleep with Lawry! He's already here with me anyway." The little dragon happily nudges the small fairy with her big, heart shaped head scale, "He makes for a pretty good pillow, as it turns out!" She playfully teases.

"I'll accept it. But only because you make for a fine, i-if a bit scaly, blanket!" He fires back at her just as playfully, pushing her away as was the norm between them.

"Ah-hah! I knew you liked when I made ya sleep with me!" Mirari beamed and giggled at him.

The togepi huffed and looked away, "Hm! It was either learning to l-like it, or l-living in everlasting ago-"

He couldn't really finish his sentence due to a large jangmo-o overpowering him, nuzzling the poor togepi whilst pinning him down against the straw bed, "It's nice to know you like it so much! You can always sleep with me whenever you want!"

The flustered Lawrence clearly tried to rebut, but his words were muffled by the large body on top of him. He did seem like he was trying to hug her back with his little arms though.

Pichu could only silently stare at the scene, with a smile. "Are you sure you don't know each other since birth?" She interrupted the duo once more, "It does seem quite hard to believe you've met not that long ago."

Mirari, as always, was the first to reply, pulling her head away from the fairy type's diminutive form. "Oh! Erm. Lawry's like… Really fun to have around… Erm… And stuff!" For the first time in a while, the grey scales of the dragon type turned a little red. Not truly answering anything.

"Didn't know you were actually capable of blushing. Guess you really did miss me." He jokingly replied.

"Shush! I'm still mad at you for leaving me all alone and worried!"

"So you d-demonstrate your frustration with... compliments and hugs?"

"W-Well, I told you already, I was very worried too! Thought you fainted inside another crater in the middle of the desert or something!"

"You wished I fainted on your bed so you c-could lay your big scaly head on my… egg...shell…chest… stomach...?"

"See! That's what I mean!" For what felt like the millionth time this night, the Pichu interrupted the duo once more, "If I wasn't here, I feel like you could keep talking for hours! It's quite amusing!"

The duo opened their mouths to argue back, but they really couldn't. They knew that they surely talked for more than a few hours before, especially when they were still in bandages, and would no problem do it more times if they weren't interrupted.

"Mirari is a good speaker, I guess. S-She surely can keep a conversation interesting."

"I know right!" She wholeheartedly agreed, as if they were speaking of another pokémon entirely, "I like your reactions though! Never expected such a tiny fairy like you to have so much snark, Lawry!"

"You think I'm snarky? I wouldn't really call myself Thaaa-" Lawrence soon found his argument being interrupted by a yawn, exhaustion catching up to him.

"My, we really stretched that chat, haven't we?" Pichu commented before yawning as well.

"I needed that! But I could stay up if I really wan-" Mirari was barely able to speak, before collapsing on the straw bed, clearly burning more stamina than she actually had.

"Why you- This has to be intentional!" Pitifully the togepi tried to push away the big head that was now on top of him, his meek slaps barely being felt at all.

Pichu could only giggle at the sight, "You did say she made for a fine blanket. Hope you were speaking the truth!"

"Oh Hah-hah. Very f-funny."

"Cheer up! We'll go see Elder Crustle tomorrow, he must know a thing or two of that pendant of yours."

"That's right… At least I have something to look forward to… other t-than…"

Strange and loud snorting and grunting could be heard coming from the fallen dragon on top of him.

"...Those."

"I like to sleep with sounds. Makes it seem I'm not alone."

"But you aren't! We'll be here with y-you!"

Lawrence said that in a very honest way, but he couldn't quite fathom the impact those few words actually had on the electric mouse. Her heart skipping a beat. Pichu could only bury her face in the nest and smile widely, successfully hiding away from the unaware fairy.

"So don't ever compliment Mirari's snores, ok? Trust me, s-she might go out of her way t-to _practice_ them if she finds out they are a 'good quality' of hers. Don't ask me how I know." His comical response mixed with his gentle honesty just made the electric type chuckled louder than before.

"Goodnight, Pichu! Thanks for everything today. We'll continue tomorrow. Sleep well!" He managed to utter, slowly falling to sleep, much like Mirari.

"Bye Lawrence. Thank you…" She whispered to herself, shyly smiling to the sleeping fairy under the snoring dragoness.

She pressed her paw against her chest.

She couldn't remember the last time she slept in the dark. Ever since that fateful day in her house, her dreams have only been filled with light.

Why did it feel like her heart was beating faster? In a strangely soothing way too…

* * *

**Chapter VII: Introspection**

**-Outskirts of the village-**

Clang. Clang. Clang.

A lonesome figure slowly walked through the sands. Braving the elements was the easy part, what was really bothering her were her thoughts.

They were possible scenarios, most of them filled with dread and loss.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

Kommo-o considered her scales a blessing, but she had to admit they could be a bit much sometimes. Especially when her body was badly bruised, her stamina was nonexistent and she had to carry her possibly broken arm with her other claws.

At least, she thought, the small droplets of blood that fell from her snout to the ground were quickly covered by the endless streams of sand.

The big dragon often had a plan for everything. She prided herself in her organization and ability to make a guideline for every situation, no matter how unlikely or impossible the situation may seem.

But never in her most paranoid dreams she could ever prepare for what happened. Her past coming back to haunt her in such a horrible and sudden way… And the fault belongs entirely to the hu-

No. She couldn't think like that.

He was just a small, defenseless child that could barely muster enough strength to hurt a joltik.

He was just an amnesiac pawn in a much bigger, much deadlier game.

And above all, he provided the joy she, as a failed parent, could never give to her little one.

Perhaps it was time of letting go after all. Even sooner than expected.

So much for a smooth trip. She had to stockpile some more supplies. Finish the letter… Explain the situation...

She could see her house. Her vision was getting blurry.

Body was feeling numb all over. Started to stumble and gasp loudly.

Had to stay awake.

Couldn't sleep.

Had to make breakfast for hatchlings.

Couldn't sleep.

Had to kiss them goodnight.

Couldn't sleep.

Had to wish them a good day.

Clang Clang Clang

Had to protect them.

Couldn't sleep.

Didn't want to worry them.

Couldn't… Die…

Had one last thing to do.

As a member of her former team.

By her oath.

As Kommo-o.

As a mother.

She squeezed her arm.

She felt her eyes closing.

Her consciousness was fading.

She braced for it.

Her body started feeling numb.

Her heart was slow.

Clang… Clang….

Then as soon as she felt she was going to give in, she mercilessly twisted and turned her injured arm, her body getting paralyzed by the sharp pain.

A small tear formed in her eye as she bit her tongue, trying to avoid screaming. Sending only muffled grunts of agony.

She then viciously twisted her arm one more time with her healthy one, locking the broken bones in place, and quickly grabbing her scarf to bandage it and keep them there.

The kommo-o didn't even notice, but she was on her knees, her legs failing from the pain alone. The single tear falling and quickly being buried by the sands below.

The adult's desperate breathing and fast beating heart were a relief. Turns out, when everything else fails, pain sure is one way of keeping yourself conscious. That and sheer maternal worry.

This crude method of fixing her injury would have to do for now. At least until she could get a number of sitrus berries and some potent ointments. That cursed thing had aimed straight for her arm once more, trying to disable her from fighting back.

That creature was strong and It was getting closer and closer to what it wanted.

But after this encounter, she finally had a plan.

* * *

**-?, Sand Continent-**

Often, it was unheard of ice type pokémon ever daring to go to the sand continent, let alone making their living there.

The climate was, as one would expect, not very hospitable at first glance. The dreaded sun scorching mercilessly every inch of the giant wasteland, even the few parts that weren't all out deserts weren't safe from Solgaleo's tyranny.

Not only that, the lack of reliable water sources and great distance in between settlements was of great worry as well. Especially when you were a member of the pokémon type that needed the most strict form of internal temperature regulation to properly function.

But for the yellow eyed sneasel that silently crossed the desert, this was all nonsense. Victimism, he believed.

He called these harsh deserts his home for Arceus knows how long, and never once did he complain. Besides, there's always the mountains or the more green area up north.

But he believed the deserts of the Sand Continent were the true test of a pokémon. Only the strong thrive in this hellish maze of sand. Only those with might truly dominate those dunes, and become true survivors. True predators.

To him, the many negatives that came from living in the sand continent were far outmatched by the positives.

Besides, not many places in the world one could find a more pleasant night time than here.

Ironic how such a hot place in the day could become so frigid during the night. Sneasel couldn't help but lift his head up to the starry sky, feeling the insanely cold breeze licking his dark blue fur, and his red feathers while the stars above reflected on his bright yellow eyes.

And besides, nothing was more fulfilling than when he, an ice and dark type, came back with a complete task.

The look of shock on their faces when they saw that he took down an outlaw twice his size, most likely with some type advantage and infinitely more at home in the sands… Hah, he couldn't help but laugh at the thought alone.

He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the thrill of the hunt either. Stalking his prey through days or even weeks through the harsh deserts was like a game to him.

A game, of course, he refused to lose. Much like everything else.

One of the many perks that comes with living on this giant rock: Dead or Alive posters.

Ah, how he loved those.

Whilst in most other continents you were limited to bringing an outlaw back alive, though of course not necessarily unharmed, at the risk of not being rewarded by the authorities, in the Sand Continent you had the option to take the more…

...Messy approach.

Not for all criminals of course! Only the ones most other pokémon wouldn't really miss.

Like this bozo he was hunting. Annoying bitch. Always on the move, likes to burrow underground for cover. She travels in a group too, apparently. It's easier to find them hiding in the night. Wanted for thievery, robbery, extortion, conspiracy to murder,violence against young pokémon… The list goes on.

Despite the lower rewards and the overall bad looks a dead target often gets you, the sneasel just couldn't bring himself to care. If he had the option, it would be stupid not to use it, right?

And hey, this dead or alive thing is only available in some cities too! Arceus knows some pokémon are faaaaaar too concerned with the feelings of criminals… Perhaps that shows their own corrupt morality.

But again, who was he to judge? Morality is overrated anyway. The ones in power choose what's 'moral' and what's 'immoral'.

That's why he liked to think of himself as a _very moral_ pokémon. Or at least he _hoped to become one._

Those topics on his mind were nothing new to him, but when you traveled alone for days to no end, sometimes having those moments of introspection really helped to keep your sanity in check.

Though the sneasel's thoughts were soon interrupted by a presence he failed to notice sneaking up on him.

"Well, well… what do we have here?" Came a deep, growly voice from behind him.

The sneasel could immediately feel sharp, deadly claws touching his back, ready to cut him in half any minute, "A lost little ice type. Don't you know the mist continent is the other way, icicle head?" The sneasel rolled his yellow eyes, lifting his claws in a surrendering pose. ' _Ugh. Gonna be one of those assholes, huh?'_

He used the corner of his eyes to barely see a krokorok smirking evilly from behind him, examining his catch and trying his best to intimidate him. Honestly, he wasn't impressed. Just your average grunt that did the scouting for the pack.

"Nothing to say, eh? Guess I'll have to do the talking!" He thrusts his claws inside the smaller pokémon a bit more, dangerously close to drawing blood. "Hand over all your valuables and I might consider not giving your guts a moonbath."

The robber grabbed Sneasel's explorer bag with his free claws, waiting for him to hand it over.

"Sure. But you seem to have dropped something." Was the first thing the ice pokémon said to the krokorok, without a single hint of emotion in his words.

"Huh? Stop messing with me! I'll skin you alive! My claws can slash through anything!"

"I'm just saying. Might be a bit hard for you to carry my things…" The sneasel calmly faked trying to reason with him, only to suddenly spin his body around.

Easily he freed himself from the bag he carried and the ground type's claws in less than a millisecond, his icy-cold claws picking the momentum generated by his movement to swipe straight at the criminal's left wrist, cutting his hand clean off, forcing him to drop the bag he tried to rob.

"...Without your hand." He completed with a sadistic smirk, his yellow eyes shining creepily under the moonlight.

The krokorok was in shock. His brain barely had enough time to process the pain, let alone what just happened. He could only take a step back and clutch the bloody stump that once was his deadly clawed hand, ice growing on the wound.

As soon as the grunt was going to react, he felt something piercing his throat. An icy, three clawed spike was now impaling his neck. His own prized hand. Frozen.

He couldn't even scream to warn the others.

The last he saw in life was the sneasel he tried to rob on the air in a kicking position, apparently right after he launched his claw like an arrow straight on his neck.

Just like that, with a thud, the thug was no more. Sneasel just rolled his eyes, wiped the blood off both his claws and face, then grabbed his now sand-bathed bag with that same unamused expression.

"You weren't kidding."

* * *

**-Mirari's House-**

More often than not, her dreams were pleasant. She often pretended to be in scenarios she read on stories, or sometimes she dreamt of being in seemingly impossible places, exploring her absurd surroundings with glee.

She especially loved the ones where she pictured a gigantic mountain. And she was standing victoriously on top. She enjoyed drawing that scenario in particular, her mother even criticized her for drawing the same thing over and over again instead of doing something more productive.

Though today, as if the day wasn't stressful enough, her dreams refused to cooperate. She had lost count of how many times she had fallen asleep, only to be awoken moments later, thanks to the endless streams of bad dreams.

After she came back home, her heart never stopped racing for the entirety of the night. She was surprised Lawrence didn't notice her fast paced heartbeat. Maybe he did. One more uncertainty to add to her list. She managed to keep it together by talking and being social, until it literally consumed all energy she had.

These last few days, she had felt more and more things she previously thought she'd never feel. Fear. Worry. Powerlessness.

And today, after what happened in the desert, Mirari's mind had been in overdrive.

She honestly thought she was a goner for a moment there. She thought she had actually lost Lawrence, and she thought that the strange pokémon was friendly… she was wrong in every single one. She disliked being wrong. But she was still happy everything turned out okay…

Through her fear and insecurity still lingered on. Like a weight she couldn't remove. She needed affection now more than ever, her mother often left her starved of it enough as it is.

She refused to tell the others because it would just bother them…. Okay, fine. She didn't tell them also because otherwise she would seem weak.

She just hoped her mother would be okay.

She hoped Pichu liked being around her.

She hoped Lawrence wouldn't mind giving her hugs or sleeping with her.

She hoped he would keep talking to her.

She wished she stopped having those damn nightmares and would just sleep alrea-

"Hey…"

Wha- Was her mind playing tricks on her? Had Mirari fallen asleep at last?

"Mirari… You awake?"

The dragoness slowly opened her weary red eyes, only seeing the ceiling of her simplistic house.

"See, you were shifting a lot. Usually when w-we sleep together you stay still…" Lawrence explained before even being asked. "Plus, your snores weren't slowly eating away my soul."

"Ah… I guess you're right. I'm sorry. Did I wake you up… with my silence?" Mirari said with a hint of melancholy.

"Oh, it's fine. I wasn't that sleepy anyway."

"You don't have to lie, y'know. You're bad at it."

"Y-Yeah… Well, it's hard not to wake up when your 'awesome dragon muscles' keep moving on top of me, hahah…"

The jangmo-o moves her head away from the small togepi, curled into a ball, with her eyes staring at his, her much bigger face inches from his, both feeling each other's breath.

Lawrence stared at the much bigger pokémon with a worried expression, "Are you okay? That's usually the part when you say either something endearing or boastful..."

"Not feeling like it…" Was all she said, in a hushed tone, very uncharacteristic of the dragon.

"Tell me what's wrong. Please. You're w-worrying me."

The dragon gulped and turned her gaze away from the small fairy, thankful for her faint blushes to be shrouded in a blanket of darkness. "It's… nothing, really. Everything's fine."

"You are terrible at lying as well."

"N-No I'm not…" Mirari gulped, her heart beating a little faster.

"Was it something I did? Something I've said?" He questioned and pressed onward, still trying to be mindful and avoid being pushy.

"No…"

"Was it the desert? What happened there?"

"No."

"Um… I-Is it something with miss Kommo-o…?"

"oN."

"What?"

"'No', but backwards. My tongue was getting tired of saying it."

Lawrence rolled his eyes and facepalmed.

"Okay, I get the hint…You have something on your mind and you'd rather not talk about it." He sighed. The sight of him clearly going out of his comfort zone to try and reach out for her made the dragon feel sad, but she didn't waver. She didn't want to bother him with her selfish, annoying negative thoughts.

Nor did she want to show that much vulnerability. Least not now she was feeling far too stressed…

"I… I really don't know what to say, I don't think I'm good with those emotional things like you are…" That was an entirely genuine compliment, with no hint of sarcasm or joke involved. Damn these fairies and their silver tongues! She was feeling the weight of guilt increasing, begging her to just be genuine and speak her mind like she always does, even if it would hurt her pride…

"B-But I can feel you're sad… worried… I don't like seeing you like that…" Would it be so wrong if she spoke what she thought to him? Would it really be more negative if she entrusted him with her worries? Would he really think less of her if she, for once, showed vulnerability… Like she did on that cave with sableye when it was collapsing,

She couldn't help but scoff at her own weakness at that point, almost killing them both. Yet another thing that haunted her.

"S-So… I'll try and do something about it!" He smiled as he looked at her. Mirari soon looked back at him, their eyes meeting.

"Hm?"

"What was that um… Thing I had to do because I lost our little bet?"

"Bet? Oh, you mean that super-duper stealth training thingie?"

"Yes. I never did pay the forfeit now, did I?"

"Your point being?" The jangmo-o truly had no idea where this was going, but she was curious.

"... I could sing to t-try and soothe you into s-sleep…" He gulped, clearly very nervous and insecure about the offer, but still making it to the dragon.

The fact that she just stared at him with a completely neutral expression, still processing what the whole thing meant, "...What?"

"Oh, y-you heard me… It's stupid, b-but I don't know what else to do…"

And there he was again. Pushing himself _far_ from his comfort zone once more. Was he really that concerned with her?

"...You know you don't have to. It's fine. I'm fine, really."

"Sure you are. Well, I-I'm not a good singer. At all. S-So I'm sorry if I just give you more nightmares with the horrible s-sounds I'll produce." He seemed to close his eyes, deep in thought. As if searching for anything that could aid him in this situation. A memory of something that was long locked away.

Lawrence was completely lost. He was terrible at improvising, but seeing his first and dearest friend so down, so… unlike herself inspired him to try and do something. Even if it could backfire horribly and instead of soothing her, he'd make her laugh at how bad it was.

As long as she wasn't down, it would still count as a victory for him.

Ironically, the only song that came to mind was the one she helped him remember all those days ago, when they first met on that crater.

Funny how a girl he met not that long ago, as Pichu accurately put it, made such an impression on him. That's the effect of suddenly waking up being amnesiac, in the wrong body and in a world he believed impossible, he supposed.

Still, he never thought he would offer to do something so embarrassing. Ugh, this reminded him of one of those damn musicals he loathed. How ironic life can be…

Well. Time to stop delaying the inevitable. God, this will _suck_.

" _My tea's gone cold and I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all…_ " The little fairy started singing surprisingly fluently, much to the surprise of them both.

" _The morning rain clouds up my window, and I can't see at all…_ " His pacing was slow, savoring each word with his sweet tone. Though his hesitation could be felt by the jangmo-o.

" _And even if I could it'd all be grey, but your picture on my wall_ ," he kept going, even closing his eyes as to not look into Mirari's. Little did Lawrence know, but she was transfixed on the melody.

" _It reminds me that it's not so bad, it's not so bad…_ " He finished, gulping and opening his tiny eyes, only to see Mirari's half closed.

"That… wasn't so bad. Didn't know togepi could learn sing…" She said between yawns, now feeling much less stressed, even a bit light headed actually. "It really helped…"

"That's good to hear. Being sad doesn't suit you." He smiled at her, she immediately smiled back.

Lawrence then felt a little clawed paw grab his stumpy arm, pulling him in a very strange, yet quite warm scaly hug. His head pressed against her body, as her head wearily touched his, "Thanks, Lawry. Really." She muttered, in her now sleepy and serene tone, yawning loudly before continuing, "Never heard… That one before."

"It's from the human world… I quite like it." He yawned back, her sleepy mood was infectious, "I remembered some of the lyrics when we first met…"

"There you go again with that human talk…" She rolled her eyes, too tired to properly argue back.

"You really don't believe me, d-do you…?"

"..."

"Mirari… we're friends, right?"

"Of course we are, Lawry…"

"But don't friends s-support and believe in one another?"

"Mhm…"

"T-Then why don't you…?"

He cut himself short as the unmistakable sounds of her snores took over the silent home. Lawrence's body was pressed against Mirari's still. Yet instead of peaceful comfort, doubt and sadness overtook his mind. Especially as his thoughts drifted to the many questions he still had about himself. About the future, present and past.

And the fact his closest and first friend didn't believe him only boosted his negativity.

* * *

**-Oasis Village, Residential Area-**

_Clang… Clang… Clang…._

Pain was stabbing at every inch of her body.

The cold, gentle breeze of the desert only reminded her of the bruises and blood that painted her prized scales, whom were both dancing and singing with the wind without a care.

The sand that drifted aimlessly acted as little pebbles that were hurled at her injured body.

And yet, despite her pitiful state, Kommo-o was victorious in her mission.

She rested her clawed hand on the front door of her house. Its rough and tough texture soothing her stressed mind. The walk towards her home had felt like painful years, even if it took mere minutes.

Looking back to the now darkened desert behind her, she could see her trail of blood being covered by the nightly sands. Good, it would mean that tomorrow, the other villagers wouldn't be too worried about a crimson path that led to her home. The less questions they asked, the better.

With her injured arm still hanging painfully, her bones barely held together by the scarf, the dragon type had to let go of her home and start holding it once more with her good arm, if only to ease a bit of the sharp pain the bruised member still caused.

Entering her house, the first thing she heard was the gentle (yet quite loud) snoring of her daughter. The little dragon seemed to be having pleasant dreams. She could tell just by looking at the hatchling's expression, her calm breathing soothed Kommo-o, who gave one of her rare smiles at the sight.

Though she couldn't help but get a little sour as she saw the small togepi Mirari seemed to be clutching for dear life.

She knew it was irrational, she knew it was very childish of her and she knew it was highly unhealthy… But Kommo-o felt anger when she stared at Lawrence.

Anger at him for making her have to fight for her life.

Indignation at him for disturbing the peaceful life she fought fang and claw to give Mirari.

Kommo-o resented him for the danger he put her precious daughter in by just existing.

She hated him. If that creature wanted him… Then perhaps...

A small glow of pure energy started materializing on her good hand, as it clenched into a fist.

Maybe… She and Mirari could still live their quiet life… If she just…

The glow quickly expanded, turning into an orb of aura.

Perhaps it would be quite merciful of her… For all of them... To get rid of him…

_**Kill the human…** _

She lifted her arm, pointing straight at him, the glow darkening, turning a reddish purple.

"Miss Kommo-o…?"

As soon as she heard that sweet voice, she snapped out of it. The energy dissipated from her clawed palm, and she suddenly was her again.

Kommo-o turned around to see a Pichu, whose expression could only be described as one of pure horror.

Stoic as ever, the dragon merely managed to utter a very raspy "Didn't know… You were here… Slept… Well?"

Pichu could easily detect the weariness and the sadness on the big pokémon's voice. Not only that, but even whilst cloaked by the darkness, the petit mouse knew she was badly injured. The scent of blood and the sound of it gently dripping on the floor was unmistakable.

What sealed the deal to her was the sight of Kommo-o almost falling, barely catching herself with her good arm. The large dragon was struggling to remain awake, now on her knees.

Pichu immediately ran off, trying desperately to catch her. Her small arms barely able to hold the big dragon's middle claw, yet the electric type still tried in vain.

The sound of her clanging scales and her grunts of pain, plus all the rest of the commotion made the both the fairy and dragon wake up from their cuddled sleep.

Only to have the same horrified expression as the pichu.

"MOM!" Mirari was the first to act between the duo, dashing to try and do… something. The jangmo-o herself was unsure what.

Lawrence was stunned at the sight, still groggy from sleep, he seemed to have awakened to find a nightmare before him.

"Healing… Berries… In the kitchen… Big bag on the right… Go…" She muttered, eyes closed shut, head lowered.

The two females ran off immediately there, while Lawrence remained frozen, completely unsure what was happening still. He eventually mustered the will to take a step and leave the straw bed/nest, approaching the big adult and closing his eyes, trying to use that strange healing power he seemed to have.

"I'm… Sorry…" The adult whispered.

"E-Excuse me…?"

"I'm sorry…" She repeated, voice dripping with sorrow.

"For w-what, miss Kommo-o?" Lawrence looked up at her, his stumpy arms touching her leg as she kept breathing heavily and struggling to not faint.

"Waking… you up…" She muttered, _"And trying to hurt you…"_

Her mind kept repeating that scene. She kept remembering charging her aura, ready to attack the poor child… And maybe even hit her own as a result. Those whispers were masked as her own feelings, but they felt twisted. Corrupt. _Alien_.

Terror fuelled her when she pondered what she could have done in that moment of weakness. What sort of otherworldly force had compelled her to do such a heinous and out of character act? What sort of vile sorcery was at play here?

The togepi's hands shone a bright color, piercing the darkness all around them, and slowly healing the adult. Though it was far from enough to properly mend her, it acted as more of a painkiller than anything.

"U-Um, don't worry about it, miss!" The togepi interrupted her train of thought, "I w-wasn't really sleeping anyway…" The still distressed fairy tried to soothe her, naively believing her half truths.

The kommo-o let out another little smile, just on the corner of her snout. She could never blame nor hurt such an innocent hatchling, it would go against everything she once fought for.

The sight of the togepi hugging her leg, plus how he and her daughter were sleeping together just moments ago managed to reenergize Kommo-o. The life dew was far too weak, but it was if the fairy could somehow soothe her heart. She heard something of the sort relating to this particular species of pokémon.

"Little one…" She started, with her ever so strict natural tone, "You do... need to work your deception skills a bit."

Lawrence tilted his head, then sweatdropped when he noticed her playful tone and expression. It was very easy to miss those cues on this big, expressionless scaly pokémon.

"You're not… the first to tell me, actually." He couldn't help but smile slightly as well.

Suddenly, the two young pokémon came to the adult and the fairy, both carrying as many berries as they possibly could, immediately giving them to the big dragoness with haste. "WHY DIDN'T YOU EAT THOSE WHEN YOU GOT BACK!?" Barked Mirari, in her ever so emotional voice.

"AreyouokayI'msorryIdidn'tknowthatpokémonwasacreepohArceusyou'rehurt!" The quadruped female squeaked at a breakneck speed, surprising everyone but her mother.

"Breathe, child." Commanded the kommo-o, noticing the extremely distressed state the jangmo-o was.

"Miss Kommo-o, we must patch up your wounds Immediately! I read on that book you gave me that-"

"A-Am I helping miss? I'm not sure I-I'm doing anything, maybe I could do more b-by-"

"OhmyArceuspleasetellmeyou'llbeokaymamaIpromiseI'lldothedishesandstudyallday-"

The three children were all loudly trying to talk to her, and as such talking over one another, clearly all wanting to help or do something their own way. Kommo-o had her eyes closed, merely picking up one of sitrus berries and biting it. The healing juices quickly doing their magic. Though it would still take much more, it was a start. The hatchlings' loud ramblings continued all around her, yet her mind was focused on something else entirely.

She had to plan their route. For them to survive, they had to go to the big city. It would be a matter of time until that creature decided to throw caution to the wind and enter the village. Or worse…

She looked out her window. Outside, one would only see darkness and sand. But to her trained eye, she could make out a shape outside. Far away. It's cloak drifting with the wind, it's red eyes glowing under its hood. Both silently taunting and stalking the inhabitants of the hut.

It wanted the human. And, as today's events let very clear, it wanted Mirari too.


	8. Question

**-?-**

Seven figures were each sitting on what appeared to be giant rocks in the format of giant thrones. All of them had their eyes closed and seemed to be in deep thought. Not that it mattered much, for each was shrouded in darkness, mere illusionary silhouettes. They knew who each were by their voices and instincts alone.

Their surroundings were pitch black, and the ground under them was an endless abyss of nothingness. They seemed to be having a discussion, their minds linked as they debated and reported how each of their missions were going. That's how it would normally go anyway, but their topic of interest now was one of their member's mission in particular, the one they all wanted to be a part of.

"My lady, would it not be wise to simply raid the town and capture the target?" Came a mature female voice, questioning the one in the middle, "We are wasting precious time by just waiting for… _him_ to do something. The guardian can't be that strong- Shouldn't any of us stop the search for the artifacts and go aid him? Surely she can't deal with two of us joining together."

"Did someone say 'Raid'!? Raidin' is my speciality, boys! I ain't gonna let no jeeper creeper take my title from me!" Came a rough, strangely jolly male voice sitting right across the previous female, ignoring most of what she said, "Just gotta say the word, ma'am! Me and the crew will go in a jiffy!"

"Finally! Lemme go too, I've been ACHING to have a real fight for once! I've spent MONTHS just walking around the damn DESERT!" A loud and tough male voice agreed with the previous one, he'd be cracking his knuckles, if only they weren't merely projections, "I just want an excuse to stop looking around those damn dungeons and WRECK some FACES!... Erm, not the shaytan's though. They're no fun."

"You rock-heads really believe that a bunch of villagers in the middle of nowhere would be a 'worthy fight'?" Another male butted in, this one much more serious and composed, chastising the two rowdier ones, "What are you, a bunch of primeapes? Please, have some standards." He would be rolling his eyes really condescendingly, if only they were having their reunion in person.

"Oh cut the high and mighty act, Ifrit. We all know you've been thirsting to have a serious fight too. You're pretty pent up, hmm?~" Yet another one, this time a somewhat flirtatious female, whose voice seemed to be packed with mischief, "Or you're gonna tell me you get your kicks by just staring at mossy and stinky dungeons whilst kicking braindead void shadows?"

"Pokémon, please. Hush now."

All of the voices immediately quieted down as soon as the calm, yet stern female voice spoke, belonging to the smaller pokémon, sitting in the middle, and higher above the others.

"As I previously said, we must not attack a settlement like that. If Oni did so, it would only bring us unwanted attention. Plus, with _her_ being there, it has a chance of not working out at all."

"But ma'am, if ya'd like, me and my crew can guarantee no scallywag will be harmed. My crew can get in and-" The previous rough male tried to argue, only to be interrupted.

"Must I remind you all? We have remained undetected and unquestioned for decades. Even as time crumbled down and as pokémon turned to stone, even when a meteor threatened our planet and as ice froze our land, we were unfazed and untouched." The small figure declared, her words were strict and self assured, almost like a mother talking to her young, though with a hint of arrogance and pride.

Before any other pokémon could speak, the leader continued "Would you throw all that away simply because you cannot contain your battle lust?" She once more rebutted, never once raising her tone, for it was not necessary, "Would you, my dear Yako, throw all that away because you're feeling impatient?"

"No, my lady…" The serious female from before lowered her head.

The two rowdy males from before also seemed to be quiet now, afraid to press any further and risk angering her.

"Furthemore, by what Oni has reported, it would seem the target is unaware of our motives. Which… certainly twists things up." She sighs, pondering and weighing their options, "The risk is simply too high. You shall keep doing… what you are currently doing with the searching. Oni, do look for a window of opportunity, and when it comes, take it."

One of the silhouettes, a very tall one, remained quiet during the entire debate, barely if at all moving, let alone speaking. As soon as his orders were given, he left the reunion, his seat now vacant, still without uttering a sound.

"...Creeps me the fuck out." Whispered one of the unruly male voices from before.

"Language." Said the more mature female.

"I shall be taking my leave also. There is still much to be done. I wish you all good luck on your endeavors." The leader declared, before also vanishing from her seat and leaving it vacant.

The remaining five shadows remained quiet for a few moments, before the rowdy male broke the silence, "Did you seriously just say 'Language', unironically?"

"Yes, I very much have." She quickly responded, clearly annoyed at him, "Our lady highly dislikes such… uncout speech. Especially at reunions. You should at least pretend you have some manners, Inugami."

"Oh, we're not hatchlings, Yako. We all know what that word means, we've all _probably_ done it." The much less serious female said, not really trying to, but still sounding flirtatious, as if it was her natural tone, "It's not like he was using swear-words after every sentence either, love. Cut him some slack."

"As fascinating as your sexual life might be, Yuki, I prefer living without knowing those horror stories." Sighed 'Ifrit', the composed male, "I have better things to do. I'll just resume the search in the dungeon. It would be much easier if those explorers stopped meddling. Call me if you need me." And just like that, he was out too.

Now only the loud voice, 'Yako', 'Yuki' and 'Inugami' were still on their seats. "UGH, why must we keep using these damn CODENAMES!? I swear I miss what y'all mean HALF the time because I forget we even have those!"

"The codenames are important to keep our identities anonymous. You know that." 'Yako' once more replied, surprisingly patient with the brute, as if it was a common occurrence.

"Yeah, YEAH… but I mean, c'mon! We're using our MINDLINK THING! Who is gonna spy on us HERE?" He had his little arms closed, grumbling a bit at the needless formalities.

"I will side with her this time. You neeever know who's peeking~" 'Yuki' said in a singsong tone, and a feminine giggle.

"Say what, you gonna tell me ya don't like your codename, 'Samebito', bud?" Teased the rough male from before.

"OH SCREW YOU H-... I mean, Screw you, 'Inagummi'." 'Samebito' quickly corrected himself.

"It's 'Inugami'. Not… the gibberish you just spoke. Seriously, we're doing this for years and you still haven't..." Yako sighed once more, "Well, as much as I would enjoy remaining here, I'd rather keep the remaining brain cells I have. Goodbye." She quickly left as well.

"She talks like she actually knows what those damn names mean…" Growled Inugami.

"Aw, don't get so huffy, love!~ You know how much she respects our lady. She picked those cute nicknames for us, so you bet 'Yako''s gonna be the one to enforce it~" Yuki giggled once more.

"Welp. Whatever ya say, shawty. Anyway, the boys must be gettin' impatient. Got a dungeon to loot, ya know? Later, folks." Inugami finally left, waving at the other two.

The remaining two kept quiet for a little bit, until the silhouette of the female began waving her tail and her head in a merry way.

"You've been thinking a bunch, don't think I haven't noticed~" Suddenly she spoke to the only other one remaining, in her singsong tune.

"Hm? Yeah, SO?" grumbled Samebito.

"That's a bit unlike you. You usually leave around the same time as Ifrit. It's like you have a thing for him~" Teased the ever-playful female, "You can tell me what's on your mind. I loooove secrets~"

"Love TELLING them, more like…" Sighed the burly male, "It's just… I feel like _he's_ hiding something…"

"Who? Inugami?"

"No, not that IDIOT. That loudmouth BARKS whatever is on his mind all the TIME. I mean… _him._ "

"Hmm… Oni, then?"

"Yeah. That weirdo's hiding something. I don't think his report was completely genuine."

"He's not the talkative type, but silent, stoic guys can be fun too~" Yuki teased once more, "Oni's not the kind of dude who would lie though. I don't believe he _can lie_ , for that matter."

"Still, seems fishy to me."

"Oh yeah, why so?"

"He didn't tell us the SPECIES of the POKÉMON involved, including the TARGET, only the types. Nor did he seem very interested with SHARING many details on his report."

"That's surprisingly perceptive for you. You were paying attention... Cute~"

"Oh please, SPARE me. I gotta GO, but keep what I said in mind."

"Sure thing, try not to think about me too much~"

"The LESS of you, the BETTER."

With one last giggle from the female and a grumble from the male, the two of them finally left the little pocket dimension they used to talk, leaving it empty.

...Or so they thought, as 'Oni', the figure who seemed to leave before, reappeared. Seemingly invisible, the one sitting before that left was just a decoy. Inside his alien and unreadable mind, there only seemed to be one thought.

He needed to hurry, else others would catch on.

* * *

_"Those weak pokémon hide in their huts behind their walls, clinging to their so called 'civilization', their packs and clans reliant on books and artifacts rather than natural might… but trust me when I say that all those things they hold dear mean less than nothing when you're crossing those deserts." -Alpha Garchomp of Clan Dragonblood._

* * *

**-Chapter VIII: Question-**

**-Mirari's home-**

"Okay… would you rather…" Pondered a young Jangmo-o, deep in thought, struggling a bit to come up with something, "Lawry, this game sucks! I can't think of anything to say!"

"C'mon, I believe in you. Just think of two things you think I would have a really hard time choosing between." Lawrence encourages his friend, whilst the two stand right outside the dragoness' house, staring at the endless dunes of the desert. The little fairy was also fidgeting his beautiful necklace, trying to tinker with the ornamented 'egg' in the middle.

"Hmmm… How about…" She digs deeper, trying her hardest to think of something, "Would you rather… Eat mama's delicious pecha pie… or… explore the World's Edge?"

The togepi had confusion written all over his face, so immediately the jangmo-o explained, "...That's a really difficult dungeon, that is often spoken of in legends, where they say that only the worthy have the honor of ever witnessing! It's said there's an epic treasure at the very end of it too, naturally! And all the deadly traps and shaytans (that's the crazy pokémon in the dungeons if you've forgotten!) you'd expect from such a place guard it!"

Mirari had a merry, joyful expression as she explained it in extensive detail, her voice filled with passion, as her scalie tail wagged behind her a bit. Lawrence merely had a dumbfounded face.

"...Yeah, I'll stick to the pie thanks." Sweatdropped the male, shaking his head with a sigh, "You're not really making this any difficult Mirari. You're asking me if I'd rather eat a delicious sweet pie, or go to my literal demise in some place that probably doesn't exist…"

"Uh? I think it's a tough choice! I'd rip off my scales to go to the World's edge someday! But mama's cooking it pretty hard to deny…" Her mouth watered up at the thought alone.

"Geez, you really are hopeless…" He smiled at her, noticing how easily she could lose herself on her own thoughts, very similar to himself, but oh so very different at the same time.

"I'll give you something to really think about!" He proudly declared, whilst formulating his question, "Mirari, would you rather lose your claws… or have to walk only backwards?"

"W-What sorta question is that!? I need my claws to fight and walking backwards just… doesn't work!" She illustrated both declarations by showing both her claws on her paws, and the walking backwards on the sand, her red eyes still looking at Lawrence. She eventually tripped, her frontal legs making her crash on the sand, facefirst.

"Sheeh?" She declared, face still buried in the sand. The togepi couldn't help but giggle loudly, hands on his shell covered belly.

"But that's t-the whole point of the game, silly! To choose between two evils!"

"Well!" Mirari freed herself from the sand, spitting some and shaking her body to clean her scales, making them clang melodically, "I would rather not choose between anything evil! I'd rather fix everything, or die trying!"

"That's a bit rash! It sucks, but sometimes you gotta choose, I guess."

"I don't like that. If there's even a slight chance I can make everything right… Even if it's almost impossible, then I'll try! No… I'll succeed!" She ever so proudly declared, even posing a bit as she did.

Lawrence, even if conflicted with the idealism in her words, couldn't really argue back. "Y-Yeah… I think you're right…"

Mirari smiled down at him, happy to have a common ground. Such agreement was quickly followed by some seconds of comfortable silence between them, something Lawrence greatly appreciated from time to time. It gave him some to look down on his little pendant again, still feeling somewhat blue when he remembered how he actually got it. But the fairy felt hopeful about the future. He felt like things wouldn't go bad, they couldn't when he was at the side of such kind hearted people… or rather, pokémon.

Oh wow… He still couldn't believe how calm he was with this whole turning into a pokémon affair. He must be going crazy. Or just going with the flow and trying his best is the best alternative, it's either that or go completely insane.

Besides, being a pokémon wasn't _that_ horrible. As long as there wasn't any stalker after him, nor was he anywhere near one of those hellish dungeons, it was… fun, even. Y'know, other than the fact that he was a puny, frail fairy that barely got out of the egg.

At least miss Kommo-o and Mirari protected him. That was enough.

"... That game of yours still sucks." She dryly commented, breaking the silence, and his little inner monologue, "I would rather continue with our session of 'guess the move'."

"Your g-game's highly unfair! I barely know any moves other than like… Tackle and Grow!" Huffed the togepi, "It's even harder since there are two names for each move- The mawal and the shimabara! I mean, if I barely know what dazzling gleam is, how in the world w-would I know it's also called 'Magical Shine'?"

"Hey, at least you're learning something new with mine!" She then winked playfully at her petite friend, "Plus, you're starting to stutter way less too! That's great!"

"Hm… Guess that not having my life threatened really helps with the stutter." shrugged the fairy, continuing with a similarly playful tone, "Talking to you is okay too. Maybe."

"Just maybe?" Smirked the dragoness, suppressing a giggle.

Lawrence smirked just like her, also holding his own laugh. Seemed that she was understanding his sense of humor, and hers was rubbing on him too.

Perhaps living in here wasn't so horrible after a-

Before the little fairy could think any further, their moment was suddenly interrupted by a loud thud that came from behind them.

Both of them jumped, startled. Mirari assumed a battle ready position whilst Lawrence recoiled and tried to see what made the sound.

Both of them quickly lowered their guard when they saw a small, yellow rodent fallen face first on the ground, seemingly paralyzed. She was hugging what appeared to be an old bag, which was similarly buried in the sand.

The two kids quickly ran to their friend's aid, Pichu still remaining still as a rock as the duo helped her up, "A-Are you okay, Pichu!?"

When she got up, it was clear that the electric type was quite flustered, her usual neutral expression was one of sheer embarrassment, her face redder than lava, sand falling from her yellow fur.

"Hahah! Did I look this silly when I fell earlier?" Giggled Mirari, seeing her friend was not injured making her immediately switch back to her lax side.

Lawrence only stared daggers at her, while Pichu still struggled to recover. Surprisingly, Mirari quickly stopped her joyous enjoyment and took on a more serious demeanor, hastily the dragoness started to clean the sandy bag Pichu carried, with her draconic claws if only to aid in calming down the tiny female.

Soon enough, the electric type had recovered from the paralysis, still blushing madly, "S-Sorry about that… I didn't want to interrupt you two… And when I did try to approach, I tripped…"

"Oh trust me, I know…" Mirari playfully nudged her.

"Weren't you supposed to be at school, Pichu?" Questioned the togepi, carefully wiping some sand off her fur still, much to Pichu's continuous embarrassment.

"Y-Yeah… It just ended early today…" She answered, though Lawrence could _sense_ something was wrong. It was that weird feeling he had from time to time, that he just knew to be right.

Despite that, he felt that the poor female already had enough on her shoulders as it was, better to not nag her about it, least for now.

"Soooooo…. What's in the bag?" Mirari pointed with one of her frontal claws, her ever present innocent smirk.

Pichu froze again, gulping and feeling the red returning to her. Shifting uncomfortably as the two other kids stared at her, expecting an answer.

"You never bring any bags when you come to play! Did ya forget to go to your home to drop it there?" Mirari continued, curiously nudging the bag.

Pichu possessively pushed it away from the dragoness, not wanting her to discover anything, "Y-Yes. That would be very correct Mirari, you are very smart…" Lied the rodent, thankful for the dragon to have somehow answered her own question.

Mirari just smiled at the compliment, proud of her 'detective skills', "I guess you just really wanted to see us, then!"

"Yes…" That wasn't really a lie, so she didn't feel as bad by saying it, "I looked forward to spending another day with you and Lawrence…"

The duo just smiled at her, making she feel like she shrunk, so she merely nodded.

"Besides… I was really looking forward to asking the Elder what that item-" She points at the pendant hanging on his neck "-Actually is."

"O-Oh yeah, we gott-"

"So we have an adventure for today!? YAAAY!" Mirari jumped at the chance, almost knocking the two smaller pokémon down with her chaotic movements.

"Mama's still recovering and doing that weird map thing she's obsessed with. So I guess it's okay if we just go! Lemme just go grab some scarves for us! Be right baaaack!~" Mirari said, in her ever so hasty voice, running inside her hut to grab the items.

"B-But Mirari we'll just-" Pichu meekly tried to stop her, only to be ignored and thrown more sand as the dragon sprinted and left the two of them alone "... Talk… With the Elder…"

"Just… Let her. She's been looking for an excuse to use those scarves anyway. She even made me use every single one of them to see which one I'd like more…"

"Really? How long did that take?"

"...T-The entire day." Gulped the Togepi, remembering the nightmarish day he had to keep switching clothing, and his friend coerced him into giving his _detailed opinion_ on each single one, "She has _a lot_ of scarves."

"Wow… So it would seem. Guess she could dress an entire family of buneary if it took that look to wear them all…"

"H-How big is the average buneary family?"

"... Pretty big."

"Then she could fit thrice as many with her scarves…"

The pichu could only stare dumbfounded at the traumatized togepi, patting him on the back with a slight redder cheek and an increased heartbeat that she sure hoped was not noticeable to the male.

"HEEEEEY!" The dragon came dashing back from inside the hut, with three scarves wrapped around her right frontal leg like little armbands. She halted at mere inches from the other pokémon, her sudden stop throwing a huge cloud of sand in front of her. "So, I got three of my favorites here! Scarlet red, sky blue and baby green!"

Mirari was pretty confused when she realised her friends were nowhere in sight, only two pointy, bright yellow furred ears and a stumpy, light colored arm who were both poking from underneath the sand. The muffled groaning from under there quickly prompted the embarrassed dragoness to move in and dig out the two tiny pokémon.

* * *

**-?, Sand Continent-**

Loud thuds could be heard, the unmistakable sound of a pokémon running through the sand. Not only that, the large clouds of sand each step produced implied it was a particularly heavy one, who was going as fast as his bulky legs could carry him.

Though his own weight was holding him back, the pokémon still ran around as fast as he could go, chaotically stomping on the ground. He was a graveler, a big, bulky rock and ground type that looked like a giant boulder with four arms.

And by the looks of things, he wasn't only grievously injured, but extremely terrified.

The big rock pokémon had one of his eyes closed shut, as well as various cuts and scratches on his armor-like body. Worst yet, some parts of it seemed to be removed by clean cuts, thus making his body seem less stocky and more irregular, with parts missing.

Behind him, a slim, dark blue furred figure casually walked, matching his speed without really trying. He merely honed his claws, sometimes playing with and grooming his fur. Looking quite bored by the 'chase'.

"So? Feeling talkative yet?" his pursuer shouted, in a emotionless and somewhat taunting tone, enough to make the rock type grunt in both pain and fear. Despite how hard he tried to run, the mere walking speed of the pokémon behind him was enough to slowly catch up to him, "Tired works too."

"L-Leave me alone, frost brain!" Shouted the slow brute, not daring to even look at the sneasel behind him.

"It's almost midday, you know? I have better things to do… Such as beheading your boss." He sighed, his right claws creating a large icicle, big enough to look almost like a dagger.

He had already taken out the rest of his small gang just as easily, after he downed the scout, it was just a matter of waiting around until the others presented themselves for him. It was far too easy, really.

Though he almost regretted leaving the giant boulder that was pitifully trying to run away from him as the only survivor. He seemed to be the closest thing their band had to a leader, so he expected the graveler to at least be reasonable and surrender.

...Which he vehemently refused to do.

So the sneasel threw the icicle at the big pokémon, hitting him in the right leg with deadly precision, the sheer power of it enough to cut it clean off. The icicle got stuck in the ground right across the graveler, his rock-like leg falling uselessly right beside it.

The now one legged graveler stumbled around and rolled on the sands below, eyes closed while he cried in agony, clutching his right stump with two of his four arms.

"So? Feel like telling me where your boss is now?" That cold voice from before spoke down to him, his intimidating golden eyes filled with contempt.

"F… Fuck you, frosty… Whatever you do to me is a rocklet's play compared with what she has in store for me if I tell ya." He smirked, still squirming and grabbing his severed leg.

"Oh? Is that a challenge?" His expression slowly twisted into a malicious smirk, now putting one of his thin legs on top of the graveler, his feet stomping his chest and keeping the criminal still, "Because lemme tell you… I _hate_ to lose."

"D-Do your worst, snowflake…" Grunted the rock type, clearly afraid already.

"Hm. You have teeth…" Suddenly said the sneasel as he looked closer to the downed pokémon.

"W...What did you say?"

"Teeth. Didn't know your kind had 'em. You have a tongue too, fascinating. Thought you just smashed rocks with the inside of your mouths…" Cryptically replied the ice and dark type.

"S...So...?"

"So it means that after I remove your fingers…" He slowly backed his face from the graveler's, still pinning him on the floor with his foot, "And after I slowly remove your arms…"

"Then when I'm done cutting your only leg..." He clashed his wicked claws on one another, both his paws making an almost metallic like sound as they touched one another, some icy sparks even flying off them, "And gouging out your other eye with my bare claws…"

He slowly moved his left claw to touch just under the rock type's eye, cutting his rocky hide slowly, moving it down to just the side of his mouth, "...I can pull out every single tooth you have. Use them to better sharpen my claws, so after you're done screaming and crying for your mother, I'll force you to literally swallow your own tongue and have you regret the moment you refused to say what I wanted to hear."

The criminal under him felt his heart stop from pure fear, his muscles frozen and unable to muster any will to move, he felt like a mountain was on top of him, not just some thin dark type, the deep cut on his face, from under his good eye to his mouth a proof the sneasel wasn't bluffing. Rather, the ruthless bounty hunter seemed to get an enjoyment out of sadistic brutality…

… And he was his next plaything.

The unbruised and calm pokémon smiled down at him, leaning his head creepily, "So. Still think your boss is scarier than me?"

The graveler could barely move, let alone speak, muttering only incomprehensible sounds, his mouth shaking in pure fear, before he finally managed to utter something understandable, "... N-No."

The sneasel closed his eyes and crossed his arms, chuckling a bit to himself. But before he could intimidate the criminal any further, he was surprised by a giant, pointy and large stone coming from the ground, right under the sand, aimed straight at him, so sharp it would easily gore any pokémon.

It flew towards dark and ice type, the impact provoking a large cloud of sand to form.

The terrified graveler quickly crawled away, still shocked. Glad his dirty sneak attack worked. He was surprised he even managed to do it, considering the overwhelming fear he experienced.

Even still, that humiliating feeling had faded away completely. The criminal had outsmarted the hunter!

His belief was only strengthened when the cloud dissipated, revealing a big hole the stone edge created on impact, the huge rock stabbing the sand at the center.

"Hah… Ahahahah… AHAHAHAHAH!" The graveler's deep cackle boomed through the empty desert, "Not so scary now, are you!? GAHAHA! You Ice headed little BITCH! That was for my left eye and my right leg! Fucking cunt." He kept laughing maniacally, not noticing the shadow behind him.

His heart froze completely when he heard slow, sarcastic clapping coming from behind him.

"Congratulations. If I had a brain as small as yours, perhaps you would have hit a bit closer to home." The still untouched sneasel said, smiling cockily as he lazily sat on the sand, yawning right at the outlaw's face, no longer clapping, using his paws to groom his pinkish feathers and remove the sand from them.

"B-But h-how… How are you so… How did you…" The rock and ground type's life flashed through his eyes, and his heart sank, his spirit now crushed completely.

"Don't be sad. Your prize will be an anesthesia free, full scale tooth extraction. Then we can move up to those useless arms next..." Sneasel stood up with his signature smirk, slashing his claws against one another once again, whilst slowly approaching the now hopeless pokémon.

The victim could only scream and try to beg as those cold, vile yellow eyes approached him, with their brandished, wicked claws.

* * *

**-Oasis Village, Plaza-**

The trio were walking through the sandy streets of the village, the huts and dunes surrounding them making him feel like he was in a maze, even if the village wasn't actually that big. Guess it was the effect of being so little in scale to everything else.

The male stopped when he felt his scarf once more untie from his 'neck'. The two pokémon halted to wait for him too, both looking at him as he stumbled to catch the bright green scarf he was given. Mirari had the red one, while Pichu got the blue scarf, all neatly wrapped around their necks.

"Awww…. The wind again, Lawry?" Mirari frowned, impatient from his constant stops, but trying her best to be supportive.

"Yeah… Wearing this thing around my neck plus t-the pendant just doesn't work…" He sighed, cleaning the fine cloth from the sand that drenched it, trying to place it around his neck again, "My little hands also refuse to help."

It was Pichu who took the initiative, standing right by the togepi's side, touching both items he wore, "Hm. I have an idea."

The down to earth electric type picked both the green cloth and the beautiful necklace, biting the metallic object to hold it, as she tied the scarf around Lawrence's neck with extreme ease. Then she put the pendant on top of it, leaving it exposed for all to see.

"Won't do a good job at hiding it if that's what you wanted, but the weight of the necklace will surely hold the scarf in place." The electric type commented.

"Thanks, Pichu! I really appreciate it! You can say I'm a bit awkward with my body, hahahah…" The fairy smilled sincerely at her, making her heart skip a beat.

"I-It's fine… You're welcome…" She gulped, _"I think it looks really good on you"_ was what she thought, and wished she could say, but her throat, tongue and mouth refused to move a muscle to fulfill that desire.

" _Plus, green is not your favorite color. That would be cyan."_ She talked to herself, as the trio resumed their walk towards the Elder's house, _"It's why I…"_

She clutched the bag she carried, something hidden inside she simply didn't have the will to unearth.

" _C'mon, stupid. Just pick it up. Just show it and words are gonna come naturally…"_ She said, her little paw shaking as she tried to put in the bag, almost as if there was an invisible shield blocking her from reaching it, her eyes closed shut, _"...Won't they?"_

When Pichu opened her mouth to try and speak, Mirari interrupted her. "Pichu! Isn't that where the Elder lives?"

She pointed at what seemed to be a big space with nothing.

"Yup…" Muttered the female, sighing.

"Um… Am I getting blind? I don't see any stone house there!" Lawrence declared, genuinely confused.

Both pokémon looked at him as if he was crazy, and pointed down.

"Oh…!"

* * *

**-Elder Crustle's house-**

The bug/rock pokémon was still as stone, resting on his little underground home, feeling at ease under the protection of his little cave, crafted by his own thick claws. The only way in was a-

With a loud thud, a small rodent suddenly appeared in front of him, sliding down the hole on the surface, falling right by him on her rump.

"Hm? Little Pichu? Why, a fine day to-" He was quickly cut off as a loud shriek pierced the silence of his cave, a round togepi coming down the entrance like a rolling boulder, screaming for his life, slightly startling Crustle.

"AAAAAAAAAAH-" Was all Pichu heard, before Lawrence collided with her, sending her forward, back on the floor with him on top.

"Hm… Hello there, little one! Let me hel-" And as if on cue, he was once more interrupted by loud sounds, but this time around, they were of pure glee.

"WEEEEEEEEEE~" A heavy, scaly dragon came sliding down the hole on the surface eagerly, with her eyes closed and a thrilled expression on her muzzle.

The other two desperately tried to move out of the way, but it was in vain, they were all run over by the much heavier pokémon, making them all fly forward to the sand wall.

"Elder Crustle, we have a question for you!" Declared the dragoness, still pressed against the wall, receiving only groans in response.

It was then Mirari realised she had all three pokémon pinned against the wall, some buried inside.

With a blush and a sheepish giggle she helped them out.

…

**-A few minutes later-**

"WHY DID YOU PUSH ME!?" Lawrence screamed at the top of his lungs, the red scarfed dragoness had her head down in shame.

"I already apologized… You wouldn't get in otherwise…" She said, almost whispering. Using her frontal paws to fix Lawrence's bent scarf, as well as wipe the sand off it.

"What's with today and pokémon falling on the sand?" Whispered Pichu, coughing up some more sand, whilst dusting off her bag, making sure everything inside was fine.

"Ohohoh... that's Mirari's legendary youthful spirit her mother always talks about!" Crustle smiled.

The older pokémon looked like a small bug or crustacean, what made him appear bigger was the large rock he carried on his back, which looked really sand-like in form. Some of it was broken thanks to Mirari's stunt, though.

"We sincerely apologize, elder! We didn't mean to disturb you in any way!" Pleaded Pichu, the other two nodding in agreement and embarrassment/shame.

"Ohohoho… Ah, hatchlings. When I made the entrance of my home a free slide, I assumed the risk!" He smiled, clicking his claws on one another playfully, "Now then, I assume you haven't come here just to experience my slide, eh?"

"No, sir… We came because of our friend here." Pichu pointed at Lawrence, who just gulped and waved.

"Yeah! He's got some super duper strange neck thingy and we don't know what it is!" Mirari explained, nudging Lawrence with her muzzle, "Show him, Lawry!"

The togepi nodded and slowly made his way to the bigger pokémon, removing the necklace and showing it to him.

The crustle carefully picked it up with his powerful claws, slowly eyeing and examining it, he seemed to change from a calm expression to one of curiosity, and then shock, "Little one… Where did you get this…?"

The togepi stared at Mirari, who nervously stared down at him and gulped, "A-A friend… G-Gave to me…"

The crustle tilted his head in confusion, but accepted the vague truth, "Hm. I would need some time to properly appraise this item, but it seems to be some sort of Mawal relic…"

All three pokémon perked up at the revelation, raising more questions than answers, "I wasn't feeling too good today, hence why I stayed in my cave to rest… Yet I still have duties that I must attend to… I don't think I have the necessary time to tell what it is for sure."

The bug pokémon almost crushed their hopes, but Mirari of all pokémon was the one to come up with an idea, "How about we do your chores, sir? Then you can look at this thing and tell us what it is for real!"

"You hatchlings would really do this old bug that favor?"

The trio nodded in unison, all smiling.

The crustacean smiled at the cute scene, chuckling to himself, "Very well. Then I promise I'll have this mysterious item figured out when you all return!"

"Yay!" Once more, the trio said in unity, earning more laughs from the old pokémon.

"So, sir. What do we have to do?" Pichu questioned.

"I'm glad you asked! It's not much really." He used his free claw to grab something inside his rock-shell, giving it to the rodent.

When Pichu opened the paper, it tripled in size, revealing an enormous list that easily covered the ground.

The three children's mouths were agape at the realization of what they just got themselves into.

"And don't forget to have fun, little ones!"

* * *

**-Oasis Village, hours later-**

For the rest of the day, the three pokémon walked around the village doing all sort of menial tasks, from helping the shops around the settlement with any cleaning they needed, as well as calculating their profits and what they needed to keep supplying the village. Pichu was surprisingly good at handling this sort of work.

They also had to help some houses who seemed to be weakening from the current weather, supplying them with stone slabs and other materials to reinforce their homes, Mirari easily delivered it, often with time to spare.

Lawrence helped with the smaller things, such as talking with the toddlers of the village, and asking if their mothers needed anything. It seemed that the living conditions of the settlement were quite good. Either that, or the families just refused to be honest with the little fairy, which he didn't believe was the case

"T-Thanks for your time, Miss Sandslash!" He sighed, wiping some sweet off his crested forehead, "I think that concludes my interviews for the day!"

"You're very kind, little Togepi." The quiet yet sweet female adult complimented, smiling sincerely, "It's heartwarming to see such passion from such a young hatchling. Perhaps you can be the Elder of your own village someday!"

"Oh, thanks… But I don't think I-I can! It's just so much work!"

"You've got spirit. That's the first step. You'll go far if you can keep this up. Kommo-o did good by adopting you!"

The togepi turned his gaze away, uncomfortable receiving so much praise. He was surprised to see Pichu dashing towards him, holding her old bag close to her chest.

"Lawrence! I have a delivery for-" She shut herself as soon as she saw the adult sandslash staying on the door, "I-I mean, togepi I have s-s-something to deliver… right here…"

The sandslash just quietly stared at the two. She connected the dots, and proceeded to simply leave the two at the door, without a word.

"What w-was that, Pichu?" Asked the perplexed fairy, "She was being so nice and talkative just moments ago…"

"Probably shouldn't have said your name out loud, sorry. It sounds very… Human. Hence why some of the pokémon here can get pretty…" She stared at the now empty door, "Angry."

"Plus, most of them loathe me. That surely doesn't help either." The blue scarfed pichu looked down in sadness at her blunder.

Lawrence felt his heart racing, and his blood pumping. He felt that it was unfair and unjust, even if he didn't quite get it what exactly happened, he hated it.

The togepi shoved his hands inside Pichu's bag, almost giving her a heart attack, but thankfully for her he only picked up the delivery, waving it around like a maniac.

"HEY! There's something for you here!" He said, a bit louder than he expected, quickly he lowered his voice to not embarrass him or Pichu, "Come pick it up!"

He didn't expect a much smaller pokémon to appear in the doorway, a sandshrew. That silent boy he met when he made his way to Pichu's house some days ago.

"Hi." Was all the ever silent male said, "Mom can be like that, sorry."

He surprised the togepi by genuinely apologizing. Though what caught his attention was the faint flush on the ground type's cheeks as soon as he saw pichu.

Pichu turned her gaze away, remembering the unpleasant interactions she had with the armadillo pokémon's gang of friends.

It seemed as if the sandshrew immediately understood what happened, lowering his head, ears and tail.

Feeling completely awkward and unsure what to do, Lawrence just walked up to the sandshrew and whispered something to him. The other male whispered back something, and he was handed the package.

The togepi waved to him, while he and Pichu left to regroup with Mirari.

Sandshrew just weakly waved back at him.

* * *

**-10 minutes later-**

"We still gotta do W-WHAT!?"

"You heard me Lawry! It says right here!" She pointed a single claw to the giant piece of paper, "'Check the water supply on the dungeon under the village'!"

"Apparently, some villagers are saying that the water has a weird taste." Pichu completed, pondering on what could be the cause, "Perhaps sand has contaminated the aquifer or something of the sort."

"Who cares! We'll be going on a real adventure! Yay!" The dragoness couldn't help but move her hips in a little quadruped dance of joy.

"Didn't your mother tell us to not go in a dungeon?" Lawrence huffed at the jolly Jangmo-o.

"She's not here, is she?" Winked the mischievous dragon.

"I can say that, despite never going there myself, the dungeon under the village is known for being very small and simple. Sometimes the kids from school hang out there, even." Pichu commented.

"See? Pichu's with me!" Mirari came and hugged the female electric type, much to her eternal embarrassment, "She wants to help the elder and find out the truth about that pendant of yours! Don't you want the same?"

Lawrence looked down, still afraid, but unable to deny the crafty dragon's words. He just moved his head up and down meekly, whispering "Yeah…"

"Then it's settled! Let's gooooo!" She picked her two friends and ran towards one oasis right outside of down, the one who was nearby, still in the limits of the town and that had the entrance they sought.

The trio were giggling and merrily talking with one another, all worries cast aside as they continued their merry day.

And as if on cue, Oni was floating right behind them, using his invisibility to more boldly stalk the kids, his quiet breathing the only thing that could give them away to an untrained pokémon.

He was waiting for his chance, seeming weary of something nearby.


	9. Object of Obsession

" _The trade route to Cielvert was once more obstructed by the savages. Dispatch a percentage of our guards to ensure the safety of the merchant's guild."_

_\- Wazir of defence Wei, memorandum to Chief Golem._

* * *

The sun was burning bright in the cloudless skies above, which was all too normal on the Sand Continent, though thankfully it was slowly but surely preparing to set, it would take only a few more hours. Even still, the shine was so intense that it made the water seem like it wanted to blind whoever was staring at it, the reflection of the sun rays burning any eye that gazed at its beauty for too long.

The trio of young pokémon, a pichu, jangmo-o and togepi were each basking at the small river, somehow formed around a blanket of sand. A few large trees and even some grass protecting and nourishing the crystal clear water below, as the wind made the plants move and make a peaceful sound.

Lawrence couldn't help but yawn. He was laying his body against Mirari's chest, both of them sitting under one of the trees, enjoying the shadow.

He didn't like to admit it but the white tuft she had, however small, still reminded him of his own pillows. It was addicting to just lay his head there. With the crimson scarf she wore, it felt even more like a strange pillow. Her steady heartbeat was strangely calming too, and after such a hardworking day, he felt that sleep was about to take over.

That is, until he felt gentle nudging on his crest, from the female dragon's beak-snout. "Don't you give up now. Should I throw more water on your face?"

Despite her playful tone, Lawrence knew she was dead serious, "God no… The water is surprisingly cold for a river in the middle of the desert."

The dragon giggled, but before they could continue Pichu had returned from the river, now carrying a cleaner bag, and having only slightly wet fur.

"I really needed that." Smiled the pichu, stretching her little body and feeling a surge of energy returning to her. "Having sand on my fur is really irritating."

"Yeah, I hate that! It's so rough and course!" Mirari shuddered at the memories she had of rashes on her scales thanks to the sand there, "And it gets everywhere too!"

"I'm so proud of you two, for reasons I can't explain." Enigmatically declared the snoozing togepi, tempted to just bury his face on that scaly pillow and sleep forever.

"Well!" The jangmo-o suddenly got up, posing proudly with her head held high to the sun, and with a paw pointing at it, "It's time to move out, team!"

She and Pichu could only sweatdrop when they saw Lawrence with his head buried underneath the sand, unable to leave. Perhaps she should have warned the sleeping fairy about that, she thought. Damn you hindsight!

* * *

**-Chapter IX: Object of Obsession-**

From behind one of the trees, heavy breathing could be heard. Its creepy sounds masked by the leaves and grass on the wind. It was no longer invisible, it wasted too much energy being invisible, and it didn't want to have to leave and recharge again, because then it wouldn't be able to _see_.

It could only see red. The mask it wore blocked any other color. Despite that hindrance, it didn't really need its eyes to see, yet for this particular scene, it _desired_ to use its eyes.

It was as if everything else was pitch black, a meaningless abyss of nothing. It didn't care for the sky, the trees, nor the oasis or the desert. No… Its only sights were on the three young pokémon.

More specifically, one of them.

It was as if the trio was being illuminated by a spotlight from above, the only source of light in the otherwise dark imaginary abyss. Despite being unable to see their colors properly due to the lenses on its mask, in this twisted and warped landscape created by its brain, they all had their natural colors.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion too. It examined every second of every movement the children did, studying their bodies. Their movements. Even their auras.

The jangmo-o bit the togepi's shell from behind, while the Pichu pulled the fairy, both of them helping each other to get the other pokémon out of the sand.

The togepi seemed to be screaming something at the jangmo-o, who only stood there with an expression it couldn't identify. Jangmo-o wasn't happy, nor sad… It was a strange something in between.

Pichu had a similarly strange expression, not laughing at the other two, but not angry at them either. It simply could not describe such complex emotions.

It didn't care for what they said. It didn't really care for the sound of their voice or their personality. It cared for something deeper.

It had to break its focus however when it saw the three of them moving away from it. Denying it of what it sought.

It was no bother though. It will just beat them to it… Just as planned.

"There! I think I see it!" Joyfully screamed Mirari, who immediately dashed towards a large hole on the sands.

"W-Wait, Mirari! It's dangerous!" Lawrence ran after her, as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Pichu was about to follow them, but one of her big spiky ears shifted, a small chill ran down her spine. On instinct, she turned around to check behind her back. Seeing nothing but the trees and the Oasis. Though in the corner of her eye, she could swear she saw a tall, dark shape behind one of the trees.

"Don't you d-dare!"

"Aw, c'mon! I'm telling ya it's safe! It's gonna be fun!"

"I would much rather not get pushed into the depths of hell, thank you!"

"...Depths of where?"

The bickering duo distracted the electric type, but she hastily turned to where she thought she saw the figure, only to see a lonely tree being assaulted by the wind. No other pokémon besides them in at least a mile radius.

The pichu felt a little unnerved, but she just shrugged it off. It must've been her mind playing tricks on her. She walked to her friends and regrouped.

The three saw a large hole in the ground, the bottom being impossible to see from there, darkness shrouding it. Small particles of sand quickly disappeared as soon as they fell deep enough.

The howls of the wind and the sounds of the plants were all that they could hear, all of them staring transfixed at the entrance to the dungeon, Pichu with curiosity, Mirari with glee and Lawrence with crippling fear.

Though as the females kept looking at the ominous hole, Lawrence couldn't help but spot something in the distance. A shining figure. It had an otherworldly aura, it reminded him of the moon, producing a beautiful light that made everything around her lose color. He couldn't stop looking at… her.

The strange figure was beckoning him, as if begging him to not enter the cave and instead follow her towards… the desert?

Though a certain dragon's nudging soon broke him out of the trance, "Hey! Don't ya go all sleepy on me know, Lawry! You're not even leaning against me, so you got no excuses!"

He simply shook his head, looking back to that same spot and (predictably) seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Still, he felt that wasn't just his imagination. He was still in a fairy pokémon's body, with two other pokémon who were currently talking to him as they waited to enter a cursed hole in the middle of an oasis. So trying to use the 'unbelievable' card was not logical, the more tempting it was to just shrug it off.

"Well! Who's gonna go first? Any volunteers?" Mirari asked with that ever present smile of hers.

"I suppose we could just jump in together, it would be the fair thing to do." Pichu rationalized.

"I don't know… Again, miss Kommo-o said w-we should avoid these places, didn't she?" Gulped Lawrence, remembering both the adult pokémon's warning and the omen he just had.

He would speak of his experience, but Mirari already thought he was a liar due to the human situation, so why even bother? She'll say it's the sun frying his brain, surely.

"Aw, don't be so tense! Everything will be fiiiiine!~"

"I believe we can just leave it to the Elder. Surely he can solve this tomorrow."

"I agree with Pichu. Let's just go back" -Mirari slowly lifted her tail, looking straight at the togepi, pretending she was listening- "and talk to mister crustle about the pendant. I feel like we've done eno-"

Lawrence could only gasp when he felt a light slap on his back, courtesy of a scaly tail that pushed him forward, making him trip and fall down the hole.

"I HATE YOOOO-" was all the togepi could shout before he entered the dungeon, and was sucked from this reality.

"You heard him! Let's gooo-" The dragoness giggled to the pichu and quickly jumped in, soon getting swallowed by the dungeon as well.

Pichu could only sigh at these two, redoing the knot on her blue scarf and following them down with haste.

* * *

**-Elder Crustle's house-**

The insectoid pokémon simply couldn't believe it.

It had to be some perfect forgery, some sort of trick these children were pulling on him. Perhaps those cheating kecleons had outdone themselves with this one.

But yet, no matter how much he tried to deny, the evidence was in his claws, right before his very eyes.

This pendant was crafted with the finest of steels. Just the material for the base would probably be more expensive than an entire city.

This was clearly done by a very skilled mawal smith, the 'city pokémon' as they were more colloquially called. They were the ones that cared about creating such artifacts, and attributing value to things that, inherently, didn't have any.

Even being a proud shimabara, the elder had to admit this was a beauty to behold. The way the little oval pendant was shaped, perfectly in between an egg and a tear, plus the many lines carved into it boosted its undeniable charm.

But it simply couldn't be. The possibilities were all crossing his mind, everything was possible, and everything could be happening here, he just refused to believe that this was real.

All of these facts he considered were only what he remembered from his interactions with stories, legends and rumors, so the veracity of it all was questionable. But he knew one thing for sure: this… item was not supposed to exist.

It is said that these were amulets of protection, used by a worthy owner in their time of need. Something that safeguarded them, and showed their status. It's why one of the non official names for it was _"Arceus' Tear"_.

This pendant was 'the protector of emperors'. It was supposed to be buried with the last mawal ruler, thousands of years ago at the fall of the sand empire.

How did a child inherit such a prized relic?

He needed to investigate further. He needed to understand just what this was, and what it was doing with that hatchling. Crustle regretted greatly making them do all those chores, without explaining that most of them were to be done on the week, not necessarily today.

Though the elder's biggest regret was not accepting the true nature of this amulet sooner, before he told what he had done to a very concerned mother. Only to watch her dash somewhere, probably after her little ones.

* * *

**-Aquifer Catacomb-**

**Weather: ? (!)**

"Was this place always so… c-c-c-cold?" Mirari felt her entire body shivering instinctively, her red scarf not helping at all.

The dungeon itself seemed like it was painted in black, with dark mists obscuring the view ahead and the ground below. The hole where they came from was no longer visible, only a wall of darkness greeting those who looked up.

"Serves you right for pushing me. _Again_."

"A-Ah… D-Don't be so d-dramatic" -she suddenly sneezed loudly, almost sounding like a roar, scaring the two other pokémon- "Lawrence."

"I could make a stuttering c-comment, but that is below me." Sighed the togepi, looking around and hugging himself a bit. He could see his breath in front of him from the sheer cold around them.

"W-Wasn't this place s-supposed to be… beginner friendly?" Questioned Lawrence, his voice slowly freezing with fear.

"Correct. W-Why?" Pichu was the one to answer, clutching her blue scarf and her old bag in hopes of getting some extra warmth.

"Then what the hell is THAT!"

The two pokémon also froze when they saw what Lawrence was pointing at. A giant eye on the pitch black wall, glued as if that was its body. The thing was twice Mirari's size, and it was slimy and fleshy. It seemed to be staring straight at them, without blinking.

"Okay… They didn't teach about that in dungeon studies…" Gulped Pichu, taking a step back.

"Don't think I've heard about eyes in dungeons either." Mirari added, seeming to be the less phased of the trio.

"A-Are you seriously fine with… That staring at you?" Pichu was shocked at her seemingly indifference to that nightmare.

"Hey, could be worse! At least it's not attacking us, right mister eye?" She playfully spoke to the creepy eye from hell, receiving no reply, "Guess he has no mouth."

"Y-You're insane, Mirari." Said Lawrence, hiding behind the brave female, "Completely and utterly insane."

"Thank you! So, wanna continue? Or would you prefer to keep making company for mister eye?"

"No thanks… Let's move. Lead the way, Mirari." Pichu, still a bit unnerved, nodded to the jangmo-o, who nonchalantly began going down the foggy path. Lawrence hugged her tail and refused to let go.

The trio went down the corridor, the mist seeming to walk with them, always remaining in front and never truly covering them. Despite the frigid temperature, the shock of it had gone away, now the trio could at least tolerate it.

"The path seems similar to what I've been told this place was like." Pichu suddenly broke the silence of tense minutes of walking through the dark hallways, "Just a narrow path that leads to the underground lake where we get our water from. Though it looks… Twisted."

"Dunno if our concern should be only a weird taste in water…" Gulped the dragoness.

Lawrence could feel the deeper they went, the more Mirari's worry showed. There was something strange about this place, that much was clear, but there was a more primal fear. Something the former human simply couldn't explain. A weight on his shoulders and on his heart he was sure all of them were feeling.

Though Mirari was the only one trying to hide it.

He didn't understand why exactly, it seemed to be a trend with the dragoness. She rarely wavered or showed fear. But when she did, she wasn't honest about it. It was comforting at times, he saw her as a safe haven. A brave… dragon, lizard bird pokémon thing that could always push forward fearlessly.

Though other times, it was annoying. Because by not being honest, she only lowered the morale around her. Though of course Lawrence refused to say such things, especially now. He just wanted to leave this hole and get some sleep.

A loud thud could be heard behind the duo. Both Lawrence and Mirari jumped, their hearts racing. "Pichu, look out!" Roared mirari.

Pichu turned around immediately at the warning, only to have to dodge a swipe that would have easily beheaded the yellow and black rodent.

Standing in front of her, there was a sight none of the kids were prepared for. It seemed like a giant ooze, entirely amorphous. It had a distinct purple color, and its semi-liquid body seemed like it would fall apart. Almost like a grimer or Muk, though much, much more corrupted. And somehow, even uglier.

It had distorted, slimy eyes, one giant arm filled with claws and spikes, while the other was a simple tentacle. It produced no sound, other than the heartbeat-like thuds as it moved.

Mirari immediately charged at the creature and slapped her glowing tail on it, which pushed it back but seemed to have any effect on it.

The thing replied by using it's tentacle arm to slap Mirari in the face, stretching it to unnatural proportions, "OW!"

Pichu came running through the walls in a quick dash, jumping off and hitting the creature in one of its eyes. Though the quick attack seemed to have no effect either.

Lawrence was paralyzed in the back, unable to move an inch. Mostly because those hundreds of slimy, creepy eyes… Were staring straight at him.

The thing lifted its huge, spiky arm and easily swiped the two pokémon in front of it, tossing them aside.

Then it began 'running' at an unimaginable speed, despite looking clunky and malformed, it moved faster than an alligator on water, the tapping sound it made emulating a heart beating in fear, each 'thud' was like a stab at the hearer's own heart.

And in a blink of an eye, it stood in front of Lawrence, just looking with its hundred eyes.

The togepi was looking at it's main eye, the one where it's face was supposed to be. Every cell of his body was screaming at him to run, each beating of his heart felt like a punch on his tiny chest. Yet even still, his body was still as a stone, while he hyperventilated, even breathing was painful now.

It moved it's tentacle hand to touch the togepi's cheek, leaving some strange slimy trail on it's path, feeling up the togepi's face and his green scarf slowly, earning more quiet cries of horror from the fairy. Before he knew, he was tearing up from the sheer fear.

"LET. GO." Growled a very angry dragoness behind the thing, desperately slapping it with her heavy, glowing tail. Despite her best efforts, the creature used its giant, spiky arm to slap her away once more, throwing her back on the ground.

It's eyes never stopped glaring at Lawrence, the tentacle now wrapping around his neck and pulling him up to meet its 'main eye'. It was bloodshot, gaze fixated on him, as if looking at the most prized object in the world.

His heart stopped beating when he saw a small hole forming underneath its eyes, as if it was ripping out its own slimy skin to create it. A mouth. And it was _huge_.

It unhinged its own jaw, further ripping its skin. Inside, lots of sharp, broken glass like teeth greeted the togepi, who shrieked as it slowly moved him inside to seal his grizzly fate. All of its eyes were blinking and rolling in some sort of horrific display of joy. "LaW...ReeEenCe…! it whispered, in a cacophony of voices and growls.

Inside that maw he saw a big fire, screams that seemed so familiar to him, and an overwhelming sense of guilt.

"Don't you dare... HURT HIM!" He was freed from the trance by a defiant female voice, followed by a high pitched scream of pain and anger, then by a zap.

Beams of blue lightning were shot at the creature, staggering it and causing some real damage. It didn't seem to be able to feel pain, but that was the closest thing to it it could show.

Lawrence was relieved as it let him go, frying at the potence of the blue electricity.

From behind, he saw Pichu with her arms up, inside an aura of said blue electricity, shooting at the general direction of the thing, though not entirely accurately.

The mighty thundershock came to a halt, leaving both the mouse pokémon and the creature smoking, bruised by the unusual electric bolt.

Seeing this opportunity, the quadruped dragon got on her feet and dashed to the creature, jumping in the air, "Remember me?" She growled, charging her dragon tail, "That was for earlier!" She declared whilst spinning in the air, hitting the thing's head with her glowing tail, throwing it to the ground, where she followed up with a heavy headbutt, using her heart shaped scale, "and that was for scaring Lawry!"

That seemed to cut the thing in two. And finally it no longer moved.

"What… was that… ?" Mirari questioned, seeing the thing melt into nothing, much like the shaytan's from the dungeon before.

"A… M-Monster…" Pichu moaned in pain, some blue bolts still leaving her cheeks. Her own body dealing as much damage to herself as it did the creature.

Lawrence grabbed Mirari's scarf and started crying on her chest, his tears running down her black scaled belly.

She gasped, not expecting that from him, but quickly returned the hug, laying her head on top of his, "It's okay. Lawrence, it's fine. I'm here. I promise I'll protect you." She whispered, rumbling a bit. When her tone was this calm and gentle, it reminded him a lot of her mother.

He slowly but sure got calmer as he let the tears flow, and the embrace shattered his fear.

"I didn't hurt you with my thunder shock, did I?" Pichu awkwardly approached the duo, with a clear hint of worry in her expression, "I don't know how to control it and I sometimes-"

She was shushed by a hug, also courtesy of the fairy, who buried his face on her furry shoulder, "I-I'm sorry. T-Thank you." He whispered, ashamed of just standing there cowering in fear and making his friends get hurt for his sake.

Pichu closed her eyes and gently hugged back, with the dragon wrapping her tail gently around them. The togepi almost cried more, though no longer of shame.

They all glowed a faint green light, still focusing on the warmth of the hug. It originated from the togepi and spread to them like a calming, healing fire. Patching up their minor wounds, and giving them back some stamina.

Pichu opened her eyes and stared at herself, seeing she was mostly healed, "I… I feel fine." She could also sense that most of the fatigue from earlier had gone away.

"I somehow totally forgot I-I could d-do that."

"Oh yeah! I feel excellent now, thanks Lawry!" Cheered the jangmo-o, her scales clanging merrily, "though it did feel a bit weaker than last time!'

"Maybe… What's affecting the dungeon also affects healing?" Pondered the child wearing the blue scarf.

"Oh great. Just great… I'm even more useless than normal…"

He was surprised to feel two huge claws touching his shoulders, as well as a giant beak snout muzzle thing inches from his face, "Don't get your hope down! Remember your training! Mama spent more time with you these few weeks than she did my entire life…"

He could feel a hint of bitterness on that last part, but as was normal for the dragoness, she soon was back in her usual high spirits, red eyes staring comfortingly at him, like a coach trying to pep talk a player, "You can do it! I know you can! You saved us from that sableye last time, and you'll do it again now!"

… Damn, he had to admit, she wasn't so bad at this encouragement thing. Even though it made him uncomfortable to receive so much praise, even if it was deserved somewhat, Lawrence still felt his spirit slowly returning to him, "And hey, you can leave the heavy lifting to me and Pichu, it's fine! Just your healing helps a lot! Don't feel like you have to jump in front of a monster and tail smack 'em to help!"

He laughed, wiping the last tear from his eye. Pichu patted his back and nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with each word the dragon said, "Let's go. We have to leave. We'll survive this, together."

Mirari lifted one of her claws, punching the sky energetically, "Yeah! Well said! Let's go team!" Her voice was somehow even more pumped up than usual.

Albeit still feeling ashamed and useless… Lawrence felt happy. He didn't know if he had friends or family back in the human world, but he hoped they made him feel this much joy.

The place surrounding them started to shake and tremble, the dark fog getting more dense, making this harder to see.

"T-Thanks for that… I'm fine now, let's move." Lawrence smiled at the two, who each nodded in acknowledgment. The dragon wearing the red scarf ran in front, with the bird-like pokémon wearing green tagging along and the mouse in blue right behind them, making sure no one was left behind in their frantic running.

They had to stop when they saw two giant eyes at the walls, staring creepily at them. The cave shaking even more, the walls seeming to be closing around them, while the fog made the cave feel even more claustrophobic.

More, loud thuds came from each side of the corridor, signalling the approach of more monsters, "Here they come!" Pichu charged her body with her blue lightning. Mirari got in a battle position, clanging her scales and growling, Lawrence buckled up and tried not to shake too much.

Now, three more of the same formless, slimy monsters came, two on Pichu's side, one on Mirari's. All of them had their own quirks on their bodies, but their shape was overall similar, with their slimy bodies and both a huge spiky arm and a tentacle one.

Yet again their eyes seemed to stare at Lawrence, and no one else. Even those on the way seemed to have some sort of fixation on the small fairy, "Oh, c-come on…"

Thankfully the first to move was pichu, who unleashed a barrage of blue electricity, hitting all the things, and making them staggered again.

"The lightning! It makes t-them weaker!" Lawrence pointed out, noticing the eyes only seemed to close when it hit them.

"But… This isn't a type advantage effect. I'm sure." Pichu said, between heavy breaths. Bruises and electric burns appearing on her fur, from her own attack.

"Who cares! Now's our chance!" Roared Mirari, before charging on her enemy, surprising it by dashing around it, positioning herself behind it, "Lawrence, catch!"

The togepi screamed when he saw the slime abomination flying at him, immediately he put his two hands on his forehead, creating a powerful flash of burning bright magical light, illuminating all around them, and scorching the exposed monster, throwing it to the floor, where Mirari easily squashed its main eye.

"Don't d-do that!"

"But I knew you had it! Erm, mostly."

"What do you mean 'm-mostly'!?"

"Guys...?" Pichu pointed at the two aberrations, who were no longer staggered by her powers.

One of them punched her in the stomach with its huge arm, tossing her aside, badly injuring the small yellow female.

Mirari immediately rushed to her aid, headbutting the monster, whilst Lawrence charged his right hand with pure energy, swinging somewhat sloppily the ball that formed out of it, sending it flying towards it, hitting its big arm.

Both hits had no effect.

The first creature pinned Mirari down with its huge arm, slowly piercing her scales with his spikes, drawing blood. The pain was like multiple knives ripping through her scales, earning a loud shriek of pain from the child.

The second one grabbed Lawrence by the throat with its stretchy arm, lifting him up by the neck and choking the life out of him.

"Try… Again!" Pichu forced herself up with pure determination, shooting those colorful blasts of electricity to the monsters, once more covering them with it. Though now her body was badly injured, even smoking, her mind heavy, her body begging her to stop.

Though her last ditch effort paid off, somehow the two teammates weren't affected by the blast, freeing themselves, and replying with a massive combo.

Lawrence unleashed a point blank dazzling gleam on one of the creatures, some of the burning light hitting the other one, as Mirari charged at the first one, her dragon tail removing the giant arm of the creature from its body, and throwing right at the other one. Both becoming puddles of nothing immediately after.

"Wow, Pichu… This shock thing you produce really helps! Pichu? Pichu?"

The two gasped as they saw Pichu laying on the ground, much to their relief whoever, she lifted one of her little arms and waved at them victoriously.

* * *

**-Oasis village, outskirts-**

She had lost count of how many hours she spent doing this. By the quantity of scrolls, papers and notes thrown around, plus the many notes on her giant map on the wall… And the thousands of leftovers from energy boosting and healing berries that were all , she assumed it was quite a number of hours.

It couldn't be helped. Kommo-o had to think things through perfectly. Every step was a choice between life and death. And life was the only option, for it was the little one's fates that were at stake.

In her mighty claws, she held a letter. Written, rewritten, scorched in anger and then redone again, this was the process of doing something that seemed so simple, but held such importance for the future that perfection and only perfection was acceptable.

And perfection required time, and planning.

She had prepared the perfect plan for their escape. The perfect way to make sure the young pokémon she had under her care would make it to their final destination. To safety.

But of course, circumstances had completely invalidated her plan.

She was once more running to their aid. She had learned from Crustle that they were making their way into a dungeon. And if that stalker was worth his moves, he knew. He was creeping around them, waiting for a chance like this to arrive…

But she wouldn't let that happen, if it cost her life. That beast wouldn't touch her hatchlings.

She would never let that happen. Ever.

She reached the bigger oasis around town, desperately looking around, using her aura sense to see if anything was around the area, "Mirari! Pichu! Lawrence!"

The motherly dragon growled when only the howling wind responded to her, running so fast towards the entrance of the dungeon that she almost tore down a tree on the way.

She stopped in front of the hole on the ground, shocked and stunned. It was blocked. Dark, crystal like spikes blocked it completely, denying her entrance. A magenta glow was visible from time to time.

That was bad. That meant she would waste even more time to arrive. But she knew they could handle it.

Mirari was her mother's daughter. Despite her rebellious and emotional streak, Kommo-o loved her to death. The little dragon was everything she once loved in her father, and in her motherly eyes, she was the single most beautiful and kind Pokémon in the world. She was the heart and the spirit of the group, she can make even the most stiff and serious pokémon (like Kommo-o herself) smile and enjoy themselves.

Pichu was a prodigy, bright as the electricity she produced. She was sure Pichu would understand what was going on first. She had the same flaws as the old dragon, she had an obsession with stagnation, a desire to live life without change. A fear of it, even. Her inner struggle was further boosted by her shameful heritage. if only she could see what a wonderful and gifted little pokémon she was, Kommo-o was sure she'd make a great healer, or even a teacher.

And the human? He had passed every single one of her rigorous tests. He was selfless enough to protect her daughter when by all means he could run, he had an iron will when it mattered, risking himself on a sandstorm to complete a task that would make a (then) random pokémon happy. And, if she had to admit, he was by far the most reliable of the trio. He reminded her of herself, even. She knew that whatever they wanted with him, he had no interest in helping. Least not now.

She smiled as she kept dashing through the desert, her scales clanging in a mad melody.

Kommo-o was proud of them all. What she would next would break her heart and theirs, but it had to be done.

Everything changes, It's what these last few weeks taught her. And it's what she would have to teach the hatchlings.

She had a final plan.

* * *

**-Aquifer Catacomb-**

**Weather: Miasma**

"So you mean your lightning's not supposed to be blue?" Asked Mirari, as they run through the enormously large corridor.

"Not really! It's one of the many reasons why I'm bullied, actually." Pichu answered, not really wanting to speak in this stressful situation, especially not about this topic, but not wanting to be rude to Mirari either, "And I'm even worse at controlling it than what's standard for my species."

"I think they look pretty cool! It sure seems to pack a punch against those things!" Lawrence smilled, now mounting on Mirari's back, holding her scales and red scarf, to better allow the group to run without having to wait him out, or risk leaving him behind.

"Thanks… But I do apologize if I can't use them all the time. They hurt _really badly_." Pichu shuddered as she remembered the unspeakable pain that is producing each bolt. The compliment meant a lot to her, though.

Which reminded her. She still had something in the bag to deliver… Though not now. Just not the time.

"Team! Up ahead! I think I see a door through the fog!" Mirari's red eyes glowed a bit in the darkness.

"F-Finally. Any more time lost and those walls would turn us into pancakes!" Lawrence sighed, bouncing up and down on the dragoness back.

"Pancakes! Yummy!" Mirari had to resist not daydreaming about one, she was starving!

"Wait, y-you guys have pancakes in this world?" Gasped Lawrence, "How dare you not say that before?"

"Later!" Pichu interrupted, as they finally reached the door, the fog dissipating entirely as they did.

They found themselves in a circular room, much like the cave, it was all rocky, with some random large rocks forming. The room would be completely dark if not for the light that came from a medium sized hole on the ceiling, right in the middle of the place. Underneath it, there was a small lake with clear blue water, shaped in a circle too. Small droplets of water fell from the hole on top, gently refilling the small lake underneath it. Around it, two paths of solid rock lead to the other side. The exit.

The trio smiled in joy, taking a step forward, only to be surprised by large, crystal-like dark spikes coming out of the ground behind them. Blocking the way they came, faintly glowing magenta.

That wouldn't be so bad if there weren't the same spikes blocking the door on the other side as well, not allowing them to leave the room.

Their hope was truly crushed however, when they heard silent footsteps, and heavy breathing.

There, right opposite of where they were, a dark cloaked figure appeared out of thin air. Its eyes were hidden behind a demonic looking mask, faintly glowing red thanks to the red lenses of the mask.

**Boss battle:** **?** **?** **?, 'the shape'**

As soon as it appeared, the illusion of safety around them broke. The calming light that came from above turned blood red, thus making the illumination around them monocolored.

The lake's water looked pitch black. As if the liquid there was either blood or pure darkness.

Spikes on the walls appeared as well, though these were more like rocks, instead of like the alien ones that covered the exits.

The only sound in the room was the now creepy drops from the ceiling on the lake, three young pokémon's loud, nervous heartbeat as well as heavy breathing.

No words needed to be spoken. That was the stalker that tormented them. The figure that hurt Mirari's mother multiple times, and that had tried to hurt them too.

And it had them right where it wanted them.

It stared at them with unwavering fascination. Gazing emotionlessly like they were the most precious items in the universe, in display right before his eyes. That was enough to make Mirari shiver in fear, remembering what it had once happened before in the desert.

Lawrence's fear though, was even worse than the two females'. Just looking at him made him tear up in horror. A memory on the back of his mind was trying to crawl out of his brain, causing an insane amount of pain, like his skull was being split in half.

He saw fire. He felt like all around him was fire. He could smell the smoke. He felt his lungs burning, his eyes burning… He heard two familiar cries. The world around him was crumbling down. It felt… incomplete.

"LAWRENCE!" Mirari growled and threw herself on top of him, barely helping him dodge a blast of darkness that exploded on the wall behind them, creating a large hole.

"Get cover. We'll handle this." Mirari ordered, her face inches from his. He could only nod and wipe the tears off his eyes, running towards one of the random rocks on the floor and hiding behind one.

The figure seemed to not care about the hiding togepi at all. Its stoic stare at the two females.

Pichu charged her blue electricity, trying to zap the thing much like she did with the enemies from before. He easily dodged her chaotic rays, levitating and dancing effortlessly on the air, spinning and turning, until he was upside down from her, face inches from the Pichu's.

She screamed, but was silenced by a psychic toss that slammed against the wall so hard it cracked it. Thankfully she barely missed one spike, that would have instantly killed her.

Mirari quickly came by to help her friend, slamming her tail against the creature's back, tossing him forward.

It carefully adjusted Its fall so it would stay on its feet. When it lifted its head, it saw a charging dragoness that quickly headbutted it, so hard it made it get tossed backwards once more.

It now had adapted, and quickly shut down the jangmo-o's charge by tossing a shadow ball her way, connecting and making her painfully hit the rough floor.

Pichu ran on the walls, in circles around the room to try and get more impulse, skilfully dodging the many spikes there. The figure started shooting small balls of purple energy all over her path. Due to her speed, she avoided them all, eventually jumping on one of the spikes and using that to close the gap between the two, landing a kick that it barely defended with its hands.

It surprised her by grabbing her leg with the hand it defended with, and using the other to push the balls it shot before towards them. He then threw her straight at the psychic balls and blinked out of the way.

Some hit her, cutting and bruising her skin and earning pained screams from the small pokémon, but most were blocked by a well placed protect, Mirari's protect.

"You okay?" Mirari ran to her side. The yellow rodent was bleeding a bit from her injuries, battered all over.

"Yeah… Thanks for that, I could have…"

"No worries! Let's beat up this creep!" Smiled Mirari, who had a few bruises and broken scales herself. Lawrence could feel the overwhelming fear she tried to suppress. He could only watch behind the rock as the girls prepared their second big charge at it.

" _I know! Maybe if I can heal them!"_ Lawrence closed his eyes, weaving the positive energy he called upon, turning into a healing wave. As soon as it left his hands though, it quickly dissipated.

" _Wha-... I can't even heal them!"_ He felt his heart slam on his chest, the weight of hopelessness getting too heavy to handle, _"This… Darkness, it's even worse than before! My friends are getting beat up and… And I can only sit back and watch…"_

Blow after blow the two pokémon tried to land, barely hitting the foe, and when they did hit, it just wasn't enough. Even Pichu's electricity seemed to be ineffective, each time they tried to attack again and again, they just ended up taking more damage. Especially the electric type, that needed to greatly injure herself to even use her most powerful attacks.

The Togepi clutched his stumpy hands into fists, shaking like a leaf. Even just thinking about the evil shape was enough to make his head feel like it was going to explode.

The two females never gave up on their struggle, even as their bodies bled and their energy depleted, they got back up and tried again, not even once complaying, fighting to protect the fairy and themselves without hesitation, while he just stood behind his rock and contemplated how worthless he was.

Both of the young fighters were panting heavily, barely able to stand, with bruises and blood covering their fur and scales. Still, they were on their feet. The figure seemed to be letting them live this long, but they didn't care. They had to fight, and they had to win.

Pichu began charging another light blue thundershock, screaming in pain as the bolts flew straight towards the still enemy. In a flash, however, it was no longer there, instead appearing behind her and in a swift motion, punching her with a shadow ball point blank, throwing her into the wall, hitting her head and falling on the floor, half dead. It charged another psyshock, ready to finish off the fallen mouse.

It didn't expect, however, Mirari to boldly jump towards it, stabbing its back with her dragon claws, cutting through its protective suit, then biting on its neck, _**hard**_. So much so that it visibly flinched in pain, breaking its focus. It tried to reach out and grab the jangmo-o on its back, being unable to.

It decided to, instead, begin levitating once more. Ramming its back on the blunt rocks that formed on the wall. Crushing them while using the dragon type's body as a shield, causing massive damage. Eventually, Mirari let go of its neck, falling on the floor, unable to move.

In anger at the sneak attack, it stepped on one of her paws, a loud crack following soon after, pain shooting through every cell of the exhausted jangmo-o's body, as one of her legs was broken so easily by the bigger pokémon.

Differently from Pichu, the shape started only gazing at the half conscious dragon whilst creepily breathing. It lowered itself on the ground, slowly touching her scales, as if feeling them up. She had to bite her lower beak to avoid crying from pain and fear. Unable to even stand with her broken leg. Her heartbeat was fast and nervous. She just wanted her mom.

And that was the final straw for him.

"H-Hey!"

The enemy immediately stopped what it was doing, turning around to gaze at the togepi, still shaking uncontrollably, trying to look like he had an expression of bravery, though only looking more pitiful when he did.

"T-That's enough!" While fear was the most prominent on his voice, there was a clear presence of indignation as well.

The shape looked at him, leaning its head to the side, staring at him almost as if in mockery.

"Y-You… Leave them alone! I'm the human! Come and t-take me!" He shouted, charging another focus blast on his hands, forming a ball of pure energy, and firing at the figure. It nonchalantly slapped it away, making it uselessly explode mid air.

It slowly started walking towards him, not even caring enough to fly or blink there. Seeing that, he started trading accuracy for quantity, firing as many focus blasts as he possibly could towards the figure. Many of them missed completely, creating a large puff of dust that covered the enemy.

The togepi kept using every bit of the little power he had to try and hit it. Much to his dismay, a hand left the cloud of dust and grabbed him by the green scarf on his neck, lifting him up to stare into its red masked eyes. It had a powerful, shadowy purple aura that burned like a fire around it.

Lawrence felt fear creeping back on his spine as he saw those demonic eyes, the devil's eyes, trying to once more freeze his body with the pure horror it reeked. Nightmarish memories tried to come back and stall him more as well. But when he saw his best friend just laying there on the floor behind it, he snapped back. Still afraid, but unwilling to let that stop him.

He put his two arms on his forehead, closing his eyes and focusing all the power he had on that attack, remembering the training with Miss Kommo-o, remembering the times with Mirari and Pichu, remembering how they fought and protected him. How this thing had hurt them.

It had hurt them! _It hurt_ _them!_

He charged a large ball of pure rainbow energy in between his hands, the shape barely had time to react, "Take this! FULL POWER DAZZLING GLEAM!" He yelled without much thought, rage blinding him.

The sheer force of the blast was enough to make it step back in pain, as well as sending the togepi flying backwards to the opposite side, his shell somewhat protecting him from the rough fall on the rocky floor.

For the first time, it made a sound. A mere grunt of pain, but a sound nonetheless. The light the togepi produced seemed to burn some of its cloak, illuminating it enough to reveal a somewhat purple, grey fur underneath, though so short it could be mistaken for scales or even skin. After the brief rainbow light dissipated, however, the mono red light hid those colors once more.

It clutched its hands into fists, angrily staring at the fairy. He tried to react, but before he knew it, he was staring right at the monster, who kicked him in the face, making him fly back once more and fall on his back.

It then reappeared right by his side, charging its fists with the same shadow purple aura it emitted, landing one blow right at the togepi's face, with such strength that he wasn't sure why his head didn't explode. The second punch was somehow even harder than the first, the pain so intense he felt like his body would just melt away.

The creature then stomped the togepi, causing him to cough blood and stop breathing for a moment, wheezing in pain.

"Let… him go! Stop this!" Mirari screamed, worry, sadness and anger all over her words, "Please! Stop! STOP!" She tried to stand and fell, tried to attack but didn't have the strength. She was trying her best to move, to scream, to do _something_ to help him!

Lawrence could barely register her cries, his ears ringing, his vision blurred and red. Not only thanks to the light, but due to his own blood.

It didn't pay any attention to the dragon, instead using one hand to slowly lift the little fairy to the air with its mighty psychic powers, once more reaching eye level.

Though this time around, it was done playing.

It slowly closed its hand, the energy around Lawrence doing the same, slowly closing in around him, squeezing and crushing him like two stones against a tomato.

Loud cracks could be heard. Agony. Bones cracking. The togepi screamed in pure pain, so loud he felt that it almost ripped his vocal chords, the cries of pain making Mirari's heart sink, and even the fainted Pichu had to hold back tears, clutching her thorn bag with her working paw, desperate to regain some energy too.

Then after that, something even worse happened.

Silence.

No sounds. Just the dripping of blood.

The togepi lowered his head, still under the psychic bindings. His colors faded.

Mirari's eyes widened, tears forming in her eyes.

Pichu's eyes half opened, also wet with tears.

The shape just nonchalantly threw the togepi into the dark waters, like an object that had lost its use, sealing his fate as he sunk deeper and deeper.

Time had stopped for them.

It seemed like a milenia had come and gone, while in reality it was just a few seconds.

Lawrence was dead.

They failed to protect him.

Their hearts sank. Their minds couldn't comprehend what had happened.

Mirari crawled slowly, using her claws to guide her through the rocky floor.

Pichu got up, ignoring the pain and the protests of her exhausted body.

Mirari painfully made her way to the dark water, looking at it. It seemed deep. Very deep. No sign of her best friend.

The Jangmo-o stared at her reflection on it helplessly. Her tears were slowly falling on the lake. She was sobbing. She didn't care if it made her feel weak and pathetic. That's what she was anyway. A useless, weak and stupid child that only messed other pokémons' lives. She was the one that always put them in danger. She did this.

Pichu held something in her paw. The thing she had kept in her bag. The item she spent days doing herself after the day she met Lawrence. She squeezed the neatly wrapped up gift. She would never be able to give it to him. To say the things she spent so much time training so she wouldn't have cold feet, to no avail. Such a little thing, but it had so much meaning to her.

And thanks to that monster, she would never be able to do it. She would never be able to admit the things she felt. She would never be able to see him again.

Her first friend was dead. And it was thanks to this creature.

She let out a loud wail of anguish, her paws closing into fists, ripping off the present. Pichu screamed to the heavens, tears falling like a waterfall.

Suddenly, she was covered in a large, electric aura. It was light blue much like her bolts. It began shooting everywhere, even creating a gust of wind. A tuft of fur on her forehead also shone blue, much like her also glowing, teary eyes.

"How could you… HOW COULD YOU!?" Growled Pichu, somehow even more threateningly than any of Mirari's.

"You will pay! YOU WILL PAY!" Screamed the pichu, wrath making her ignore the fact that her body was falling apart due to the release of so much energy.

The shape had to brace itself, else it would have fallen. This amount of energy… It only had one explanation… She indeed was-

Before it could think any further, Pichu had tackled it, jumping high in the air to match its superior size, using so much energy on the attack that it burnt its hand. The blow supercharged with so much power that it made another gust of wind.

Pichu then punched it once more, it blocked with its other hand, but much like the previous blow, this one also paralyzed and burnt its limb.

Pichu then falls back on the floor, before jumping once more, this time hitting its chest with her head, still with her blue lightning powering her up. It grunted in pain once more, the impact tossing it in the air. Despite the damage she was dealing, Pichu's own body was steadily falling apart.

Despite the epic fight behind her, Mirari couldn't be bothered to look. She was too busy staring at the dark lake. Loathing her own weakness. Thinking of Lawrence. The many things she wanted to do with him. The many things she wanted to say to him. How much she wanted to apologize...

"I'm sorry… I-I'm so sorry…" She sniffed, her tears could fill a like at this point, "I couldn't protect you… I dragged you into this... I-I'm a terrible friend…"

She wept and sobbed more, almost running out of air multiple times, the otherwise still waters being moved by her tears.

"I'm so sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" She apologized, probably one of if not the first honest, emotional and pure apology she's done, no hint of pride or mischief. Only honest remorse, "Please come back… P-Please… P-Please don't go… Don't… Don't leave me…" She tried to reach out to the water, still hoping for a miracle. Hoping that he would come back. Hoping this was just a bad dream.

When nothing happened, she just lowered her head, Mirari's heart unable to stare into the waters any longer. She layed her head on the floor, making a puddle with her tears, punching, clawing and even headbutting the ground.

* * *

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He could barely think. His body was broken and injured, he had no air. He was falling deeper and deeper into the void. His weary eyes closing slowly.

_So this is what dying feels like, huh?_

He couldn't help but shed a few tears as well. But somehow, for the first time in a long while, he was truly calm. He was in bliss. He was safe. It was over. He would finally get the rest he wanted. The rest he deserved.

He closed his eyes, accepting his fate. Drowning in the depths of darkness.

Silence. Oblivion. Sweet, sweet release.

Nothing to worry, nothing to fear.

Only… Peace…

I'm….ry…Pl...Don….me...

...

…

.


	10. Brave Decision

Pichu's rampage seemed to be endless, after each hit she just braced herself and fired another electric attack. And another. And another. No matter if it landed or missed, no matter if it had an effect or not, she just had to keep doing it.

The pain was so intense, she stopped feeling it. Her body was moving thanks to pure adrenaline alone. As well as pure, unadulterated fury.

The shape's cloak was getting torn on more spots, it had to actively try and dodge each attack now; blocking was highly ineffective. Even with its superior power and speed, her sheer persistence was closing the gap between the two.

Pichu's moves were a barrage of electrified punches and kicks that each had the strength behind them to let out a voltaic shock around each blow. Due to her small size, she complimented her offensive maneuver with jumps and constant movement, further confusing her enemy and making it all the harder to dodge effectively.

She spun in the air and tried to kick it in the face, forcing it to block her with its arms, the energy released on impact further searing its flesh.

Her heart was beating so fast she was sure it would explode soon, but like all the other red flags all over her body, she ignored it. Instead the only thing that was on her mind was revenge.

"You fiend! You… You monster!" Pichu snarled, blow after blow pushing the creature further back, "We did nothing to you! HE did nothing to you!"

"We just wanted to have a good day! We just wanted to have fun together!" She earned another grunt from it, landing a horizontal spinning kick on its cheek, "And look what you've done! You don't even have the dignity to speak!"

It finally saw an opening, holding her on its psychic grip, trying to crush her much like it did with her friend.

And that only managed to enrage her further, her blue eyes and the little tuft on her head shone even more. While struggling against its power her blue electrifying aura only burned brighter, now four times as bigger than her. The pichu screamed in agony and pushed herself even further, breaking the binding and launching herself towards it, headbutting the enemy straight on the chest once more.

"Give." She spun once more in the air, becoming a blue ball of pure energy, beating and shocking everything in her path.

She was so fast with her jumps that it seemed Pichu was flying, the blue ball she made using her own body tackling the airborne figure again and again, "Him."

She repeated these reckless attacks around ten times in a span of milliseconds, reappearing right on top of the enemy. All of the energy around her started to be channeled on her right paw, the weight of that much energy could easily rip it off, but she had no care for that.

"BACK!" She swung it down, hitting the shape straight in the face, a shower of thunder and lightning exploding around it, the punch blasting the foe to the ground with so much brute force that it created a cloud of smoke when it impacted the ground.

Before she could land, a large shadow ball hit her straight in the chest, denying her the momentum to keep the aggression going.

Then after that came another, then yet another one, earning pained cries from the small rodent.

She finally fell on the ground, her sparkling aura slowly disappearing.

After the cloud dissipated, the figure had many small bruises on its body, with more torn parts of its outfit, to the point where its short fur was visible. Its mask was mostly intact, but it now had small cracks all around it, especially the red lenses. Surprisingly enough, it now had revealed a long, thick tail that was previously hidden in its restrictive cloak.

Seeing the shape on its feet again made Pichu immediately run towards it, only to be met with a psychic swipe that tossed her on the wall, almost breaking her back on the blunt rocks.

It didn't stop there however. It blinked as soon as she hit the wall, grabbing her by the ears and slamming her on the rocky surface several times, so viciously and so violently that it cracked some of it.

Even in her state of frenzy, Pichu yelled in pain. A loud, high pitched cry of a suffering child who only wanted to see her friend again, now being tortured by his killer.

She started to charge the electricity once more, but the creature was faster, dropping her back on the floor and kicking the pichu in the face. Stunning the female long enough for it to grab her with its powerful and big tail, choking her a bit, before launching her in the air.

Pichu tried to take control of the free fall, but it was to to avail. The figure easily teleported behind her, mimicking what she had previously done with it, but this time it merely touched her back, shooting a point blank psychic blast that finally ended her small rampage.

It slowly levitated down, checking the now completely downed Pichu, no signs of any energy left. Bruises on every inch of her body, with large amounts of smoke coming out, thanks to the absurd amounts of energy she released. It needed to do nothing, for the Pichu had sealed her own fate when she tried to use something she didn't understand.

He just stepped away, eyes focused on the weeping Mirari.

"Don't… Don't y-you… D-Dare…" A female whisper came from behind it.

From the 'unconscious' Pichu.

Just how much willpower did she have?

Enraged with the child already, it turned around, charging another shadow ball, ready to end her for good.

* * *

**-Chapter X: Brave Decision-**

…

…

…...

He was in peace.

Slowly falling down the black waters of the void.

No need to breathe. No need to think. No need to feel.

Bliss overtook him. He was finally free from the nightmare. Free from pain. Free from worries.

Free from the burden of living. Free from the burden of caring.

Just calm silence. Silence and the stillness of water.

_I...orry…_

?

_...so...ry…_

What were those sounds? What was disturbing his peace?

_...pro...you…_

He wanted to cover his ears, hearing that hurt! It hurt to remember! It hurt to care!

_...dra...this…_

Shut up! Shut up! Forget about him! Let him drown! He just wanted peace for once!

_Terri….riend…._

Why… Why does his chest hurt? Why does his eyes burn? Why does he want to move his mouth?

_I'...so…_

Why does his head want to think? Why do his arms want to embrace? Did they not know that would cause pain?

_So...ry…_

What was that voice? Why did it make him want to move?

_I'm...rry_

Why does hearing that voice make him _want_ to cry? Crying hurt! Why does that voice make him _want_ to get _hurt_?

_Please…_

Did he know that voice? Why… Why was he doing that? What was he feeling? That hurt!

_Please don't go…_

Shut up, voice! He doesn't want to move! He wants to… He wants to…

"Listen to it."

H-He didn't know that voice.

"Listen to it. Cling to that. That feeling in your heart."

What feeling?

"That indescribable feeling you've always felt. Use it to remember."

Remember what? He just wanted to sleep! He just wanted to rest!

_Don't leave me…_

Wait… T-That was…

Mirari!... He couldn't speak…

_Please… Don't leave me…_

He remembered.

"Now, human. What do you feel?"

He was crying.

He felt sad.

"What would you like to do?"

He wanted to hug her.

He wanted to say it was not her fault.

He wanted to say she was funny.

He wanted to have their little talks.

He missed Mirari.

He still had to help Pichu with her house.

He hadn't thanked miss Kommo-o for taking care of him.

He wanted to do so many things… He wanted to learn so much… He had so much he still wanted to do!

Then what… What was he doing here? Screw peace! Screw silence! Screw calm!

He wanted to feel sad, to get hurt, to worry, to get stressed! He wanted to care! He wanted it all! Not because he liked it but…

But because…

Because…

He felt the water all around him moving. The shapeless darkness was no longer still. Small ripples gently caressing his body.

He opened his eyes.

Somehow, even in the depth of that bottomless bit, he could see something up above.

" _Mirari…"_

His eyes widened. She was-

" _Crying…'_

* * *

Elder Crustle was examining carefully the pendant. Checking what seemed to be small runes painted by its lines.

It began to shine.

A gentle, yet fierce light shot from the small relic.

It slowly lighted up, then down again. Then it came back, and repeated.

Like a heartbeat.

Crustle widened his eyes, he knew what that meant.

* * *

He could feel her tears!

She was crying! He… He was making her cry!

The little dragon from above reached out to him.

He tried to lift his own little hand, only to feel a sharp sting of pain. It was broken.

He wanted to go back to Mirari...

To Pichu…

To Kommo-o...

He couldn't just lie down and die!

Not when they needed him!

Not when that thing was hurting them! When it was making her cry!

And he…

He…

"Say it, human."

He felt something suddenly on his neck. It felt metallic. It shone a tiny bit.

"And I…" Lawrence whispered, still underwater.

He could feel an energy entering his body, mending his wounds. It came from all around.

"I… I…!"

He felt his shell cracking, his body bursting back to life, his lungs refilling with air, his heart beating with vigor.

"And I… I won't watch this **anymore**!"

And just like that, he reached out to Mirari once more, feeling as though he could fly, intending on getting back to her.

* * *

Mirari layed down still, weeping uncontrollably. Her scarlet eyes widened when she saw the villain charging one final attack to finish off Pichu.

The jangmo-o couldn't stand up as much as she tried. Oh, what a mighty dragon she was. Her pain was so intense she just couldn't do it, plus her broken leg only made it even more difficult. She cursed her own weakness. She was going to scream for that thing to just STOP.

But then, the mono red room was pierced by a single ray of light, coming from under the waters of the dark lake. Pure white. No… more like a rainbow.

Then after the first, came another. And another.

Before they all knew it, the heavenly light had covered the entire room. Just staring at it made the shape grunt in pain, having to cover its face.

A huge ball of light was shining like a beacon under the black water, it was shaped like an egg… or a tear, depending on how you looked at it. It appeared to be 'hatching'.

That's the closest word Mirari could use to describe it.

And then, just like that, it bursted out of the water, making it seem like it was raining in the large room for a moment.

When Mirari opened her eyes, she saw a dainty, white pokémon with a red and blue triangular ring pattern on its body. The pokémon was standing in the middle of the lake, seemingly floating with their delicate wings on their back.

The pokémon emitted a white/rainbow, almost silver glow, with a gentle aura that flowed like water around their body. The shine this holy pokémon created completely vanquished the previous red light, shattering it like glass.

Now the room was illuminated properly, and Mirari could better gaze at the mysterious sight.

The angelic pokémon touched one of his feet on the water's surface, now walking right towards her. Each step it made changed the black, corrupt waters into a shining, crystal blue. The purity was infections, cleansing it more and more with each gentle splash his steps made.

Mirari simply could not turn her gaze away. And the pokémon couldn't either, their brownish-yellow eyes gazing deeply at the jangmo-o's scarlet ones. Just staring made her forget the insane stress she was feeling moments ago.

The mysterious pokémon arrived at the edge of the lake, right where the sniffing dragon was. Slowly, they reached out their gentle, glowing hands, to touch her cheek slowly.

Wherever his hand touched was healed. Broken and battered scales, became gleaming examples of draconic beauty.

His hand eventually made its way to her eye, tenderly wiping the single tear that was still there. It was by then she saw the pendant around his neck, bursting with energy much like its user.

"L… Lawrence…?" She whispered, feeling like she was in a dream.

The togetic smiled, then closed his eyes in a mixture of kindness and sheepishness. She felt like she could cry, jump, laugh, scream and faint. Mirari had so many feelings just bubbling up! For one of the first times in her life, the jangmo-o simply didn't know what to say.

And both her and Lawrence knew that nothing needed to be spoken.

With his free hand, he touched her broken leg. And just like that, it was mended.

"Rest now. It'll be alright." He calmly said, voice still youthful and high pitched as Lawrence's was… but with a clear hint of maturity. Strength. Confidence. "You are a wonderful friend, Mirari. You saved me as I drowned in darkness. Thank you." He slowly floated away from the lake, and from her.

"W-Wait…" She tried to reach out and follow after him, but despite the healing, she was still utterly exhausted.

"Fear not." That voice was so… Gentle, so innocent, like she remembered… but there was so much power behind it! It was out of this world, "It's my turn to protect you."

Her heart skipped a beat. She nodded and sat back down, in absolute awe at the sight of her transformed friend.

Lawrence the togetic looked at the cowering shape, still trying to recover from the staggering light, the fairy's face was no longer of happy serenity. Now he had a more serious, borderline angry expression.

"You have no more power here. Cease." He ordered, not raising his voice a tiny bit, but still making the wounded creature take one step back.

It angrily recovered, quickly shooting a shadow ball at the holy pokémon. He easily slapped it away, making it crash against the wall.

It then threw a psychic wave at him, exploding where the togetic once was.

But when the bigger pokémon could see more clearly, it saw that Lawrence was actually standing in front of Pichu, touching her little broken paw, his silver aura flowing to her. Saving her from death's doorstep.

"M...Mew, is that you?" The still groggy Pichu said, her eyes still closed, at least thirty times more debilitated than Mirari.

"No such thing. I'm much less impressive." He cupped one of her cheeks with his hand, she quickly was lulled to a peaceful rest.

When Lawrence got up, he saw thousands of psychic energy balls surrounding him, while the shape just stared at them with its three fingers glowing.

As soon as it closed it, the energy balls came crashing down, surely crushing them. To their surprise, the togetic was just standing there calmly, a large royal blue barrier protecting him from all fronts.

Mirari smirked from the sidelines, being much easier to use protect when you were standing still. Though she was aware that was probably the last move she'd use in a long while, for soon after she fell down and closed her eyes.

The foe fumed, its eyes staring daggers at the fallen jangmo-o, deciding to end her for good, it charged another ultra powerful psychic.

It was stopped by a small hand touching his, somehow lifting it rather easily, completely breaking its focus and its aim.

That visibly shook the enemy, which proceeded to charge a powerful punch at the small pokémon. He just stepped out of the way, lifted his other hand and shot a blast of fairy magic that easily blew away the shape towards the now pure lake, who now fell into the waters.

The togetic began ascending to the skies, charging a sphere of energy on one hand. The pendant the young human turned pokémon wore moved on his neck as if it was still underwater, or on zero gravity.

Then the former human threw the moonblast on the water, it exploded near the bottom. The water moved slightly, the fairy explosion shooting rainbow lights that were reflected by the surface.

The togetic remained with his serious expression, even as from the depth slowly came a wounded, huffing large humanoid pokémon. Most of its features are still hidden by the cloak and the mask, though its grey and purple fur is now more exposed than ever. The mask was also on full display, no longer hidden by the clothing on its head.

"I feel great anger in your heart." The togetic tried to reach out, no longer afraid to speak to the vicious enemy.

His species' instinctual empathetic powers increased tenfold thanks to his new form, "You seem to have jealousy inside it as well, though I still do not understand why you are doing this. There's still time to stop. You can speak to me about what shrouds your heart with those negative emotions, if it would help."

The youthful fairy lifted both of his hands in a surrendering pose, "I promise you, we won't hold anything against you. Just please, stop this and let's talk."

The creature didn't seem to consider his sincere words, instead it blinked to his side, punching Lawrence in the face.

The boy flew down, before the figure appeared right in front of him, landing a kick on the small fairy's stomach, then it grabbed the togetic's large throat, squeezing it mercilessly.

It glared at the fairy's eyes, then it tossed him up and slammed his cheek with its fists.

As the fairy flew from the impact, the shape kicked his stomach once more, earning a bloody cough from the frail angel bird pokémon.

It then used his superior body weight to press the togetic against the floor, earning more pained cries from him.

"What do you…" The togetic spat some blood, staining some of his pure white feathers with scarlet blood, "... Hope to accomplish with this?"

After the question, Lawrence fired a powerful dazzling gleam on the shape's face, enough to temporarily blind it and allow the fairy's escape back to the air, "Have words always failed you, so you resort only to violence instead?"

It snarled, trying to bind the fairy again. It was surprised when the togetic multiplied into ten identical copies, all charging another huge attack, "Full power…"

It angrily swiped all of them away with a single psychic wave. They all vanished.

For the real one was flying high on top of the shape, charging the same attack that dazed it a while ago, "Dazzling gleam!"

It connected. The blast of light was so intense it turned the entire room white, probably blinding the togetic's allies if they had their eyes opened and looking straight at the flash.

When the light faded, the figure was on the ground, its dark aura all but gone. One fourth of its mask shattered, exposing a feline face, bruised and with a similar short fur as the bits of its body.

The togetic slowly got back down, until he was no longer airborne, eyeing carefully the enemy, as it somehow slowly got up, seeming to never fall for good.

As time went on, the aura around the youth gradually went down, he didn't notice before, but now he could see just how much his shine had vanished. Lawrence felt as if what he had used to boost himself was reaching its end.

And the shape knew it too. It had reduced the amount of power it used for that very reason. To stall and steadily make the togetic lose his advantage.

Both of them glared at one another, each charging their respective strongest move.

The shape put its two, three fingered hands together in front of its chest, its uncovered red eye shining with anger. In between them, a dark ball of negativity appeared, growing more and more.

Lawrence was fighting on instinct, his body guiding him up until now, almost as if there was someone else aiding him. He spread his arms, feeling light building around him, until it covered him like a white flame.

The shape then started to charge at the fairy, holding the giant ball in one hand as it rushed the togetic, who had no choice but to fly recklessly to the enemy too, leaving a trail of the fairy, rainbow energy on his path.

Before the two could clash, the pendant stopped floating on the togetic's neck, the brightness stopped.

And in a flash, the togetic became a togepi midair, all of his power dissipating as he clumsily fell from where he was previously flying. The creature's exposed eye widened, as if smirking, the ball of darkness doubling in size.

The togepi gasped, staring at his own doom. Cursing himself for not being fast enough. Cursing himself for not being able to control that miraculous power for much longer.

But then, another barrier saved the fairy last second, also royal blue, but with a hint of red.

It was from a large, very angry adult dragon.

Lawrence had failed to notice, but when he cleansed the room of the miasma, he had also freed the exits.

And in Kommo-o's case, an entrance.

The adult used one of her clawed hands to keep the barrier protecting the weak togepi, her scales clanging a melody as she fell from the hole where light came in, straight from the ceiling.

The creature's shadow ball collided with the protect and shot the young boy towards the edge of the lake, right where Mirari was laying down.

Kommo-o controlled her fall, doing a backflip whilst holding her hands together, firing an aura sphere at the monster.

Lawrence was out of words, stunned by the quickness of everything. His mind dizzy and quickly feeling the aftereffects of what happened, fatigue creeping up the togepi's small body.

A large bag was suddenly thrown his way, it was quite old, but seemed surprisingly well kept for its age. It had something written in the fabric, but he couldn't read the words.

"There's an orb, supplies and a letter inside." Growled the heavily armored adult, cracking her joints, "Use the orb to leave. Cross east and go to Gobi. You will find the Odyssey guild there, give them the letter and tell them who you are."

The dragon growled her orders in a desperate, yet composed pace, her eyes staring fiercely at the bruised shape, who seemed to ignore everything around, but the interloper.

"What are you waiting for, human? NOW!" Growled the dragon, which quickly made the togepi move to pick up the bag, nervously looking at the snoozing PIchu across the room.

"B-But Pichu…"

"She will be fine! I promise you! You two are what he's after!" Kommo-o had to clash her armored hands against the other pokémon, who apparently was male, to stop him from blowing past her.

"Please go! Hurry! You've wounded him, but now that you are no longer absorbing the waves…" She bit her lower lip, explaining would only cause more confusion on the child, "Grab the orb! Use it like I've taught you, little one! Pick up Mirari and go, please!"

The togepi looked at the wounded shape, to the worried mother, and to the sleeping electric type.

His heart sank. Lawrence just couldn't leave her. Not after all they've been through.

But yet, he looked at the young dragon next to him, also fallen. His little body completely burnt out after his fight with the shape.

He just had a revelation moments ago! All that talk about friendship and all that stuff, just for Lawrence to have to make such a terrible choice! The human turned togepi wanted to carry Mirari to where Pichu was and get them both out of here! Better yet, he wanted to use that energy again to kick that stalker's butt!

But, as his small oval body reminded him, the togepi had barely enough energy to stand up.

"Please little one, I can't hold-" She was silenced by a punch in the face, followed by a shadow ball straight in her armored chest, having to assume a defensive position against the ultra aggressive pokémon.

The evil pokémon's dark aura was coming back, his need to hold himself back vanishing with the togepi's defeat.

Lawrence saw the spikes slowly growing back on the doors, "Human! You won't be able to escape! LEAVE! Now!"

The young male closed his eyes, running for the back and grabbing it, taking towards him and Mirari.

The shape immediately tried to teleport towards them to stop this, only for Kommo-o to sucker punch the foe, then grab him from behind to try and restrain him, in an attempt to buy the fairy some time.

He picked up the bag and scrambled its contents with his little hands.

The shape recovered and slipped away from the dragoness, blinking towards the togepi.

Kommo-o tried to charge a quick aura sphere, but had no time.

Lawrence grabbed the giant orb, hugging Mirari's neck and lifting the item up.

The creature's hands were filled with pure evil energy, ready to kill the two right there.

Lawrence moved to throw the orb.

The creature was ready to swipe his head off.

But then a blue electric shock paralyzed it for a second.

More than enough time.

Last thing Lawrence saw was the Kommo-o ready to unleash her attack, and the semi-conscious body of Pichu on her feet once more, if only for that second of desperation.

The orb exploded on the rocky floor, Lawrence just held his friend tight and thought of somewhere far from here. Far from all of this. He'd rather face the desert than one more second of that thing.

* * *

**-?, Sand Continent-**

When his eyes opened, his wish had been fulfilled.

He felt the cold breeze of the night.

The still warm sands on his little feet.

The full moon illuminating the desert, giving a somewhat bluish tone, the sands almost looking like they were painted.

The stars were plentiful. Giving some veracity to the old myth Mirari told him, that they were all their ancestors watching over them.

...He couldn't help but wonder for a moment. What were his ancestors like?

It was then the weight of what had happened hit him.

He failed to let go of his cowardice for good.

He failed to defeat the shape.

He failed to protect Pichu.

He failed with miss Kommo-o.

He failed _**them**_.

Lawrence fell on his knees, head almost splitting open once more, the bluish cold desert becoming a burning inferno. Fire covering everything and everywhere.

Screams. They were a woman and a young girl. He knew them! Or did he...?

In the middle of the blazing inferno, a humanoid figure wearing that same dark cloak.

Looking down at him in the same contemptful way.

Leering at his kneeling self.

Sparking a primal fear the boy had known all too well.

Before Lawrence knew, he had fallen on the sands facefirst, the exhaustion and stress knocking him down. His amulet had lost its shine completely, now looking like a useless trinket.

He reached out and touched Mirari's claw for comfort. She instinctively moved and placed his head on her scaly chest, right on her white tuft, her red scarf almost completely destroyed.

" _You remind me… That it's not so bad… Not… So… Bad…"_ He sang, slowly falling asleep. The dragon rumbled peacefully, nuzzling against him. Blissfully ignorant of their situation.

The two fainted children had no hopes of noticing a small figure approaching them from one of the dunes, easily crossing the desert at night.

Mirari heard her scales playing a melody as they were dragged against the sands bellow.

She still had no energy left, barely managing to open one of her red eyes.

He saw a pokémon, walking on two feet, wearing something that covered some of their body. This pokémon was dragging her by the tail with their claws, while they had Lawrence on their shoulder.

The jangmo-o desperately wanted to struggle and wiggle free, begging her weary body to let her do something. Anything.

The best she managed was to meekly pull her tail from the pokémon's grasp, getting completely dropped on the ground with a thud.

"You slippery little-" Came an assertive, rash male voice, who seemed to be talking mostly to himself, "As if the snoring wasn't enough!"

Her snores weren't… So… Bad…!

Before Mirari could think of what to do next, her eyes slowly began closing again, the last thing she saw were shining golden eyes staring at her, and nonchalantly grabbed her tail once more, resuming the walk.

Now completely asleep, the dragoness started letting out loud, tired noises that to some might sound like a mixture of a grumpig getting choked and a tyranitar growling.

* * *

" _ **My poor, misguided child… So close you were to my loving coils. So near to the answers you desperately sought. Such endless bliss you could have experienced, had you not struggled... It matters not. You may only elude destiny for so long."**_

" _ **I'll be waiting… My adorably foolish chosen."**_

...

**Arc 1: Prologue -Over-**


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